The Wandering Sage
by Tachman
Summary: This are the tales of Naruto, the new Toad Sage as he travels through the land divided into the many Shinobi clans. My story doesn t have large ninja villages but all clans have their own village/city and waver war against each other. First story ever!
1. Prologue

"The Wandering Sage"

**First tan anything I am not ****American so don't expect my English to be flawless; second, this is my first story and depending on reviews and my job may as well be my only one; third, after every chapter I would like people to share ideas (be warned that as I may take them into consideration I don't have to follow them at all) as to how to continue progressing the story; fourth, since it's my first, I am not very good with action sequences so my story won't have much detail on that department; fifth I may take ideas from other authors as far as it goes on how clans are formed and how they behave, I also take ideas for original clans as long as they are not too powerful or have extremely rare abilities; ideas for kekei genkais are welcomed but they have to be original (as in something that actually has weaknesses as well as strengths) and unexpected not all mighty and strong; sixth, criticism is welcome as long as is constructive and understanding (my first time!!!); seventh, flamers are retards…**

**I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as well, ****only my OC´s and any original locations I may come up with (by the way I also welcome ideas for locations Names and Descriptions)**

**This world I believe it's original since instead of having a few large shinobi villages the world is still divided in individual ninja clans each with their own small towns, or large cities (depends on the clan), ways and symbols (ideas please). **

**It's an age of strife in the shadows as some clans struggle to survive or rise to glory and power.**

**Prologue: The Ninja Age.**

A long time ago before the first chronicles of shinobi were written and the foundations of the clans be laid, a man of incredible might and wisdom known today as the sage of the six ways discovered the use of chakra in his own body and in all things alive, his feats soon became legendary and many sought him to become apprentices and partake on his wisdom. The sage took them all in and taught them as best as he could and became surprised on the many things his students were capable of; his days as a teacher were long and full of new discoveries, his students used their abilities to help the neighboring lands and made them prosper like never before and all was well.

After many years the sage, now an aged man, had taken as adopted sons his two most powerful and talented students, their names now forgotten but their feats still mark or scar the land.

These two were always locked in constant competition to demonstrate their ability but never with ill intentions for each other, but as time passed and the sage's health started to decay the time to name a new successor was nearing thus making the competition more intense and in time as in all things concerning man, ruthless.

Both of them started to make experiments seeking new discoveries and new sources of power to wield because as amazing as chakra was, it was limited to what their natural ability and resilience could muster.

One of them started to experiment on how to draw chakra from other living creatures and use it himself.

The other started to experiment on his most talented and willing peers promising them new abilities that could help them achieve more or use more efficiently their chakra abilities.

Soon these experiments would prove to be a curse to many…

The great sage was ignorant as to the activities of his sons and having a great trouble deciding upon his successor thought that the best way to choose was to watch them in secret as to avoid any pressure and see who was the most deserving.

What he saw made him age even more than the years upon his shoulders, for his once beloved students and sons, were now locked in terrible activities concerning chakra.

With a broken heart the sage returned to meditate on what measures he could take to prevent further corruption among his students, it was during this meditations that he noticed a third student among the many that were on his grounds; she was a young woman that at first glance wasn't special but the great sage noticed that her chakra flow was different for in it existed a perfect balance between Physical, Mental and Nature chakra.

The Sage intrigued, summoned her and asked if she was currently engaged in a new kind of training to what she answered that once she had depleted her chakra reserves while walking on the ocean and fell in it completely exhausted; while drowning she was desperately clinging to life but her body wasn't responding so in the last moments she opened her eyes and saw golden stripes running all around her.

She tried to reach one and in that moment the stripe entered her body filling her with new energies that allowed her to swim back and run at incredible speed over the water and well into land; ever since then she has been training discreetly to recreate that moment.

Impressed the Sage asked for a demonstration and he was awed by the beauty, the power and the perfection of such skill, with no doubt this humble student had acquired the next step in the path of the Sage and so was worthy of succeeding him.

The sage granted her with the Rinnegan and began her instruction to become the next Sage; news of this reached his sons and both enraged and betrayed made an oath to kill the Sage and take the Rinnegan for them.

Both sons prepared for the coming battle, turning their arts into deadly weapons and rallying their armies of altered humans and chakra enhanced beasts to meet the Sage, his disciple and the still loyal students.

When the three armies collided, chaos was the only word that could describe those days of tragedy, for very few survived the encounter.

Among the surviving students only a handful of the modified students made it alive and went to roam the lands ahead of them.

Among the many beasts with chakra nine of them survived but were so wounded that they chose to retreat and sleep for centuries to come.

The great Sage died in combat with his sons turning themselves into stone statues that would struggle forever.

The new Sage managed to survive but being witness to the carnage unleashed by man and their access to chakra decided to become a hermit and take as students the true children of nature, the many beasts and animals that existed in it, these would later become the creatures that ninja summon into battle.

And so among the survivors that still held the knowledge of chakra spread to the far reaches of the land founding families that later became the clans we know this days.

With these events now gone from all memory the Age of Ninja came to be…

**AN: ****Hope you like it so far, structure is a bit rough I will try to improve. **

**The story begins fully on chapter one.**

**Reviews please and no flames.**


	2. Of old tales

**Chapter 1: Of old tales…**

The Usumaki clan was the first to settle among the islands on the land of Whirlpools and soon prospered with fishing, and sea trading; they also developed powerful water based jutsus, their wealth only multiplied when they discovered how to calm the waters to allow larger vessels to navigate the islands safely charging of course for such generous service to the traders.

A number of years later the remnants of the Namikaze clan known for their skill in seals and wind based jutsus, following a disastrous defeat against the Uchiha fled and secretly settled in one of the deserted islands on the Whirlpool land and for years they rebuilt their strength and carried secret missions for disgruntled traders angry with the proud and stubborn Usumakis.

It took almost 20 years for the Usumakis to learn of the presence of another force in their lands and another 5 to finally find them and confront them. The Usumakis known for being fierce but also way too proud and stubborn encountered the secretive and skillful Namikazes and so 3 generations of war followed.

This rivalry ended when a terrible hurricane like no one had seen in their lives loomed over the Usumaki village. Doomed with certain annihilation the Usumakis were trying to find ways to save themselves but finding no solution the only choice was to leave their village and move to mainland.

Being the stubborn people they were famous for, their leaders refused the idea of fleeing and decided to weather the storm as best as they could; But by the time they realized their mistake all the waterways leading to mainland became too dangerous to use. Here is the tale of how peace was brought to both clans.

Kushina Uzumaki, eldest daughter of the Usumaki clan leader and next in line for leadership a tomboy for all who knew her saw that this was the end of her village if she didn't do something about it so remembering one of the many battles against the Namikazes, lately they had been using special seals on their frontlines that allowed chakra barriers to protect their supplies or seal off cave entrances they used to retreat the battlefield.

Kushina wished to speak to the newly chosen leader of the Namikaze, Minato, to bring an end to the fighting and plea for her village's salvation; Minato was said to be a genius with no equal and be the creator of the barrier seals as well to other incredible jutsus.

Kushina surrendered herself without a fight but asked for an audience with Minato.

Once Kushina was brought before Minato she started saying

"Lord Minato Namikaze, I Kushina Uzumaki next leader of my clan came to offer peace and beg for your aid in this time of great need for my people"

To say that Minato was surprised was an understatement he couldn't believe that an Uzumaki would offer peace and much less beg for help, so being suspicious he answered

"And what exactly are you asking help for? Uzumaki are proud and strong enough to fend off other enemies"

Expecting this Kushina breathed deep and replied

"If it was a foe we could fight with jutsu and steel I wouldn't be here but our enemy this time far exceeds any of us, a huge hurricane is coming straight for my home and our own arrogance and pride has left us with no means to escape, I have seen your skill with seals and I believe that they can be used to protect my village from it, I also know that you have attempted to reach peace with my father before but he always turned you down"

"I am offering the peace you desire in exchange for your aid" she knelt down and bowed placing her forehead on the ground "I beg you, please help us!!!"

Minato slowly considered the proposal but knew that achieving peace wouldn't be that simple, Kushina came as an heir not a leader so her word wasn't definitive on such matter.

Minato rose to his feet "Kushina, today has been a day I will not forget easily, I understand your plea and I would be doing the same for my people but I can't help to wonder if your people would even consider mercy if the situation was the other way around"

Kushina flinched to this words for they carried a sad truth, so sensing that this would end badly she answered still kneeling "Then what does my lord desires in exchange?" she hated herself for lowering so much to her enemy.

Minato considering this needed time "Kushina, I ask you to give me three hours to deliberate with my people, in the meantime please rise and take a rest, I know your people is running out of time but the storm is still a few days from reaching your village"

Kushina rose and took a seat as a servant brought her hot tea.

Minato went to his chambers and sat down to speak with his mentor and long time friend Jiraiya the one and only toad sage and known super pervert.

Minato asked "You think she is serious?"

"Well the storm is real, I confirmed it with my toads; we didn't saw it for our land is on the extreme west of the Whirlpool islands, and they said is every bit as big and dangerous as Kushina said" answered Jiraiya.

Considering this Minato asked "And you think we can have peace solely on her word?"

"Well if she were the leader then yes we could trust her, but she is heir and her father is still strong of health and lost two brothers fighting us, I don't think that peace by words would last"

Minato agreed "well if words aren't enough then how?" Jiraiya grinned and answered happily "Quite easily, marry the redhead!!!"

Minato nodded his head acknowledging the wisdom in his words until they clicked in, he froze and then stuttered "W-W-What!!??"

Jiraiya continued to grin even more and said with perverted glee "Well consider it like this, marriage is the usual thing for this stuff, she has the authority to allow it, we know her father spoils her so he would agree after a while, and the most important…she IS HOT!!! You won't have a chance to score something like that again!!!"

Minato deadpanned before his sensei's wicked idea but he had to recognize the truth, marriage would guarantee peace on the long run and perhaps allow both clans to join into one, turning them into a real power in the area and ensure that other clans don't try anything against them.

In the end and seeing no other options Minato agreed with his sensei and returned to Kushina with a bothered look still embarrassed by the idea of marrying her.

Clearing his throat he spoke as clearly as he could "I am afraid that your word alone is not enough to reach any agreement with your people"

"W-W-What!? you would leave us to die!? I am doing this because we have no other choice! please, please help us I promise to do anything to give you peace!" said Kushina while trying not to cry.

"Whoa calm down I never said I won't help!" said Minato trying to calm her down. "Then you will help us!?" Said Kushina with renewed hope and admiring the merciful man in front of her.

"Yeah but there is one tiny little condition" said Minato scratching the back of his head nervously. "What condition" asked Kushina growing suspicious AND angry.

"Well since your word alone as heir is no real guarantee of anything concerning your clan a marriage should be enough to seal the deal" said Minato laughing nervously a he finished speaking.

"Oh… I see, so you want to marry one of our most prominent maidens, mmm, that sounds reasonable and fair" said Kushina posing wisely. Both Minato and Jiraiya tripped amazed by how dense this girl could be.

"Ah, mmm, well you see, since I am the leader of my clan the only maiden that could match my rank would be … you" said Minato whispering the last words.

In a second Kushina's expression changed from wise to angry to really pissed off. In a flash she was strangling Minato and screaming "How dare you!!! You pig!!! You think you can go ahead and marry this poor innocent lady to marry her enemy!? You are probably going to make me do embarrassing stuff and cook for you, and during the night make me wear kinky stuff!!!" Jiraiya was laughing his ass off before the scene while taking notes on such particular situation, but stepped in when Minato started to turn blue.

"Well since you don't have much of a choice and we want peace before anything, you should consider the offer, especially since your father would let you all die before accepting peace" Jiraiya said while trying to loose Kushina's grip on Minato.

Kushina considered for a moment while dropping Minato to the floor, that really her father would never accept a compromise but she was in the position to strike a lasting peace.

While Minato was recovering Kushina lifted him from the ground this time grabbing him by his shirt and said dangerously "If I agree to this you will help my village and if you fail I will kill you personally in the most painful and humiliating way possible, understood?" Minato nodded quickly fearing this dragon of a woman, already regretting his future marriage to such "poor innocent lady"

Minato set immediately to prepare the creation of his biggest and stronger barrier jutsu ever, while Kushina escorted by Jiraiya headed for the Usumaki village and to talk with Genbo Usumaki leader of the Usumaki for more than 20 years.

Genbo was a tall, broad and muscular man, had tanned skin wild red hair and a wide red mustache across his face, his clothes were made of a light blue cloak and underneath had a white long sleeved shirt and white pants with dark blue sandals. By his side stood an equally large oar only that on the broader end part of it had razor sharp blades, this was his trusted weapon the "Wavecutter" the one he trusted along his strength to vanquish the storm.

Genbo smiled widely when he saw his daughter Kushina escorting no other than Jiraiya the fabled toad sage before his presence. "Kushina my beautiful mermaid you have brought a prisoner of great skill and power, you truly are the most worthy to call an heir"

Kushina looking bothered replied "father he isn't here as a prisoner but as an ambassador" Genbo looked puzzled but Kushina continued "You know the ocean dad not even your Wavecutter can pierce such storm, not even with all our warriors together"

Genbo sat silently listening "dad you know Minato Namikaze and his amazing jutsus specially the defensive ones, I believe he can make one that can help protect the village"

Genbo took all this into consideration, he had know of Minato's great skill and had lost several battles to him already but something was amiss "Kushina, indeed Minato is a great ninja but I doubt he would just come to our aid out of pure mercy, did he ask for something in exchange? lands? gold? … surrender!?"

Kushina getting really nervous before the imposing man but knowing what was at stake steeled herself and answered "No Dad, he asked for peace among our clans"

Genbo raised an eyebrow "Just that? Peace?" Kushina sighed and said "And one guarantee for a true lasting peace…my hand in marriage"

Genbo looked like he was going to explode but Kushina spoke first "Father! I accepted as the proud Usumaki that I am! I am doing this on my free will and for your sake and that of our entire people, you didn't want to evacuate when there was time and now we stand on the verge of dead, THIS is the ONLY OPTION left to us!" Genbo still angry spoke softly and slowly "Is Minato truly capable of creating such defense for an entire village?"

"I don't know if he will succeed but if he does he will deserve anything he asks for, and if he fails the storm will kill him as well for he is the one who will create and sustain the barrier"

Genbo looking defeated and humbled said "Very well you are now a grown woman and truly deserving leadership of our clan, if he succeeds I will allow the marriage and accept peace and if he doesn't…well guess we won't need to worry anymore"

The night was deep and dark, the storm howled like thousands of wind demons desiring to shred anything in its way, the constant thunders allowed glimpses of the monster's real shape; a huge hurricane like no living man had seen in a century.

The Usumaki village stood on the shore of its ancient homeland right in front of the storm and waiting for the full blast of the storm to reach them.

Standing along several Namikaze seal experts and Jiraiya, the brave Minato stood strong against the wind and the rain going through a large series of hand seals under perfect synchrony and in an instant when the worse of the storm started to reach them he landed his hand on the ground along his comrades, then a huge line started to glow around the village in the shape of a 12 pointed star and a barrier made of a glowing golden light surrounded the village completely.

The barrier was cast but the real task started there as the wind increased and the waves stroke harder, the barrier started to take its toll on Minato, Jiraiya and the seal experts. Meanwhile Kushina and her father were witnessing Minato's struggle in silence as the huge waves started to hit the barrier knowing that without them the village would be destroyed by now.

Minato started to feel weaker and knew that his comrades wouldn't last long either; he knew this was a long shot but he had to try in the name of peace. He knelt feeling even weaker but then a warm hand touched his shoulder and helped him up, it was Kushina and before he could say anything she placed a soldier pill in his mouth and made him swallow it, she said softly "don't give up I can't afford to become a widow without being married first". With new energies and greatly motivated Minato stood his ground and the barrier resisted.

It was a day joy and celebration in the neighboring ninja villages of Usumaki and Namikaze renowned in history for their fierce rivalry and bloody battles on the land of Whirlpools, a land of small islands and dangerous whirlpools that sprouted from nowhere.

On this day their long rivalry and years of war came to an end as Minato Namikaze and Kushina Usumaki joined their lives and clans in marriage, the banners of both clans flying high with the symbols of the whirlpool and the spinning windmill, for a new future awaited as a new power would rise on this islands, joy and prosperity was in everyone's minds.

From afar a dark haired man witnessed this joyous event and muttered "I finally find you Namikaze" "time to finish my task"

After the wedding ceremony both clans had agreed that in order to restore what was destroyed by the storm and form a true nation on the Whirlpool islands a new city should be erected on the central Island and be named "Stormgrave" where calamity came to an end.

Both clans shared their secrets and techniques and became a real power, soon tales of their might, wealth and strength reached other powerful clans like the Hyuga, the Senju, the Sarutobi and the Uchiha, soon after many clans sought trade agreements and the possibility of alliances on farther lands. The new nation had many prosperous days ahead of them but even where the storms end tears can fall…

After a few years of happy marriage Minato and Kushina finally gave themselves time to start their own family, with their new country on its way to prosperity, Kushina now had 9 months of pregnancy and the day for their new child to come to this world was nearing, unfortunately her pregnancy had been diagnosed as a high risk so she had to stay at the hospital for the last few months of it.

"Minato have you decided on a name yet?" Kushina asked rubbing her belly; Minato placed his hand on her belly as well and said "Well it may sound a bit cheesy but I want to name him Naruto"

"Why?" asked her obviously confused upon such strange name for a child of his stature.

"Naruto is the main character of the first book my sensei ever wrote and curiously the only one that's not about pervert stuff" Kushina now remembered said book and Naruto had been a fighter that believed in bringing an end to the violence of the ninja age and bring peace to everyone.

Minato always sought peaceful solutions before any kind of violence be applied; so the name Naruto held great significance to him.

"Very well, his name will be Naruto and who knows? Maybe he will bring lasting peace to our world!" they shared a soft laughter and wondered about how their son's life would turn out.

"**At the border of the land of Whirlpools":**

"_**I SWEAR MADARA THAT THE MOMENT I BREAK FREE FROM YOUR SPELL I WILL BURN YOU TO THE VERY SOUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"**_

"You can certainly try old friend but meanwhile I would like you to destroy the new Ninja City on the land of Whirlpools"

"_**YOU THINK YOU CAN ORDER ME!!??" "YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!"**_

"Please calm down all your shouting isn't scaring anyone here" "just do as I command and you won't see me again, I promise"

"_**I DOUBT THAT, BUT FINE IF THAT'S WHAT YOU DESIRE I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE, THEY SHALL MEET THEIR DOOM BENEATH MY WRATH AND BE CERTAIN THAT I WILL RETURN FOR YOU SOMEDAY!!!!"**_

"Mmm I wonder about that, well so long my old pet, and happy hunting" said Madara as he disappeared

"_**RRROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR" **_howled the Kyuubi no Kitsune into the night as he leapt forward in search of the now doomed city of Stormgrave.

The next day:

"My lord! grave news from the border!!!" said a messenger while panting

"What happened?" asked a now worried Minato

"My lord a beast like no other is attacking the northern border and it's on way to the city"

"Calm down and detail the beast", the guard collected himself and began "It was a towering Fox of red/orange fur, with red slitted eyes full of malice and on its back nine huge tails whipping, sending gusts of wind and earthquakes, my lord I've never seen something like that but I don't think anything we have can stop this beast, already our forces on the north are decimated if not completely annihilated"

Minato was alarmed by the news and summoned Jiraiya to consult for any possible measures to stop the beast, Jiraiya was puzzled as well but remembered that the toads that taught him the sage arts told him of mythic creatures infused with tremendous amounts of nature chakra, the power they wielded drove them mad with rage and attacked anything that moved in their territory, but they haven't been seen since the days of the great Sage.

According to this, the tremendous amounts of chakra transformed these beasts into immortal creatures and thus it was impossible to slay them.

Minato thought "Well if I can't kill it then the next best option is to lock it or trap it somewhere where it can't bring harm to anyone"

"How far is the creature from the city?"

"3 days away my lord, our forces have managed to delay it creating whirlpools and setting traps on its path but nothing stops it for long, it seems hell-bent on reaching the city" This last piece of information struck an old memory in Minato's head but he discarded it for he had a nation to save and 3 days to come up with a plan.

Minato thought upon every one of his options and available resources, the man was a genius but a man is still a man. Minato decided that he needed to better understand the beast so he summoned Fukasaku the sage toad and asked him whatever he knew of such beasts.

Fukasaku explained him about the tailed beasts created so long ago; they were once innocent creatures of nature but were taken by one of the sage's students and in his quest to draw new sources of chakra; He had them infused with the chakra he could extract from other animals and plants that he set to a special fire; this chakra was indeed extremely powerful but since it was obtained with extreme violence and disrespect, it drove the receiving creatures mad with rage and so was the beginning of their inner malicious conscience.

Fukasaku explained that they were used in battle and were controlled through some special means but said means were lost after the battle. The creatures were wounded and decided to withdraw for a rest, and ever since then no living man or animal has seen them.

Minato considered the words and determined that these creatures had become basically chakra entities with conscience, for no living body would survive forever. This gave him an idea, if chakra could be placed on objects or scrolls so could the beast's chakra.

But such amount of chakra couldn't be stored in a single scroll, weapon or statue; the container had to be one that could adapt itself to such power and its instability. The final solution was a human body.

Minato had his answer but his hopes fell once again when he experimented trying to infuse more chakra into an animal that was well rested and full of its own chakra, the poor animal exploded and upon closer inspection knew that once a living organism reached full development so did its chakra network and it was capacitated for a limited amount and no more than that.

He had to scratch the idea of sealing the beast in himself for it would be useless as the beast would rip him from the inside and finish its quest, He needed a container that would adapt to a new capacity something that would become parts of himself fully.

Minato knew that he needed a newborn baby, a creature that wouldn't be able to interact immediately with the beast's chakra and at the same time adapt his body for his new nature. In time the child would know how to control the chakra.

Now that Minato had the container he needed the Jutsu to seal the beast; if the beast was truly made of such wild and violent chakra, normal sealing jutsus might be ineffective he would only have one chance to do it right so he needed a 100% safe way to seal it. The Death God sealing Jutsu.

Said Jutsu made by his most ancient ancestors was only used three times in the history of the Namikaze Clan, once to seal the soul of an ancient wind demon, second an enemy ninja of great skill, and third to seal a dragon, each time killing the caster for the death god demanded a sacrifice of equal value, and only the clan leaders were worthy of the death god's service.

Minato was more than ready to make the ultimate sacrifice, he has been ready ever since he took the mantle of clan leader but his heart was heavy with the decision of which baby would be chosen to carry such terrible curse.

He thought of an orphan, there were plenty of those in this world but the poor child already had a rough path ahead of them to give them a curse like this would certainly put the child on a very dark one and the boy might use the power to become a tyrant or a monster worse than the Kyuubi itself.

He thought of asking one his subjects to sacrifice their child but what kind of leader would ask from others what he wasn't willing to give.

In the end Minato reached the conclusion he feared from the beginning, his son was the only one that could do it and him the only one that could seal it…

It took a while to convince Kushina but in the end she was also a leader and as a mother to be she wouldn't ask another to make such sacrifice, she would be strong for her son and her people even if her heart would die a little with Minato.

Minato made Jiraiya to promise he would teach Naruto to become a great Ninja and also help him control the beast's chakra.

**October 10****th**

Genbo Uzumaki was assigned to hold the front line along with all the available Namikaze and Uzumaki warriors, he was informed to give Minato as much time as possible to prepare the Jutsu and his newborn.

Genbo knew that this might be his last stand but he was more than glad to risk falling against such a mighty creature and especially for the future of his grandson; finally he had the chance to do something worthy of his ancestors and so without doubts set out to meet the legendary beast in a battle like no one had seen in countless years.

Minato was preparing the recently born Naruto applying special ink upon his belly for he knew that sealing alone the beast wouldn't be enough, especially after feeling the Kyuubi chakra; it was far greater than he had anticipated, this seals would help keep the chakra from running wild into Naruto and give his body time to adapt itself to a constant influx of chakra until he could control it fully.

Minato left Kushina at the hospital sleeping thinking she was out of danger but the doctors didn't noticed that during birth her womb was punctured and started to bleed, Kushina would never see her son again or the disaster that was going to befall her people, but was glad nonetheless for her child would have a future and something told her it was going to be a bright one.

"_**RRRROOOAAARRRR!!!!! **_The Kyuubi howled before its prey as hundreds of valiant warriors were trying to stop it, their efforts were brave but futile in the face of such monster.

Genbo stepped up and swinging Wavecutter above his head and screamed "Giant Vortex Jutsu" as he said this a huge pillar of water rose from a nearby river and crashed at his command against the Kyuubi but it only managed to make it sep back a few meters as it looked even angrier, but Genbo wasn't done with his attack as the falling water with another swing of his Oar screamed "Water Spray Jutsu" and then hundreds of falling drops of water stopped in midair and shot themselves against the Kyuubi's face blinding it temporarily.

On this moment several Namikaze warriors screamed "Flying Sickles Jutsu" with this hundreds of small tornados shot at the beasts paws cutting deep gashes on them and bringing down the beast as it screamed in pain.

Then Both warriors of Usumaki and Namikaze together screamed "Storm Wrath Jutsu!!"; at first the wind seemed to stop on the battlefield but then from the clouds above a huge crushing tornado with water that was becoming ice blades descended on the fallen Kyuubi grinding it into the ground, a long howl of pain was heard and then nothing but silence.

Both the Namikaze and Uzumaki warriors cheered for victory seemed attained until a low growl was heard and from the place where the Jutsu stroke a pillar of red light emerged and in it the Kyuubi was standing in its full power glowing red as its wounds were healing.

At this sight all the warriors were paralyzed, they had tried their best attacks and the beast was intact. Genbo didn't lose heart and giving a battle cry launched himself towards the beast, at this the rest of the warriors did the same, no longer with chakra but with courage they attempted to stop the Kyuubi.

The Kyuubi seemed to smirk and opening its maw a huge blast of raw chakra was shot against the incoming attackers. In an instant half of the warriors were vaporized.

Genbo for the first time in his life knew that there was no hope so resigned dropped to his knees and thought of his beautiful daughter when she was a child and played with him and her mother.

When all hope was gone from their hearts, three huge shadows jumped in front of the exhausted warriors. They were three towering toads One had a huge blade, the other a spear and a shield and the last one two swords strapped to its back. On top of them were Jiraiya and Minato who was carrying Naruto in his arms.

Minato looked down to his son taking as many details of him as possible and softly spoke

"I am sorry for leaving you this curse but I am confident you will turn it into a blessing, use it to protect those you come to love and may you find joy in this life"

"You are my son, my heir and in you, I believe" "Good bye Naruto"

Placing Naruto on a cradle firmly placed on Gamabunta's head he went through a rather simple series of hand seals and gave Jiraiya the signal. Jiraiya along with the other two toads trapped the Kyuubi with their weapons barely containing it.

From Minato a large Hand sprouted towards the Kyuubi and grabbed it, starting to pull its essence towards Minato. The Kyuubi alarmed spoke with malice.

"_**WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING INSECT!!??""NOTHING YOU OR YOUR WARRIORS DO WILL WORK AGAINST ME!!!!"**_

Minato clearly winded by the effort replied.

"You and I will leave this world together, nothing you do now matter, you lost" "Your power will become a blessing for this age and your rage will finally be laid to rest in oblivion"

The Kyuubi recognized the creature behind Minato and knew that indeed his essence was in danger so smirking thought if he could only distract Minato for a second part of his consciousness might escape into whatever recipient Minato pretended to use against him.

"_**SO I HAVE LOST?""THEN YOU WILL LOSE AS WELL"**_

Having spoken this, the Kyuubi gathered the rest of his strength and with all its might smashed its 9 tails on the ground sending a shockwaves that started earthquakes across the Whirlpool islands,

Stones and mountains cracked the city of Stormgrave started to fall apart, the ocean stroke with giant waves and the rivers fell out from their curses. The Kyuubi's last attack had the intended effect on Minato as he wavered seeing the city falling to pieces.

On that instant the Kyuubi took a small part of its conscience and slipped it on the chakra running into the cradle on the toad's head, in time it would wake up and be reborn fully.

With this the Kyuubi stopped struggling and allowed the Death God to take him fully disappearing into Minato.

Minato was crushed seeing his home ruined and his lands shattered, his efforts were in vain, true a great calamity came to an end on Stormgrave but now all he fought for was gone as the islands started to crumble and fade into the ocean.

As he was expecting death to finally reach him, Minato heard Naruto screaming loudly in his cradle, he went to him and took him inspecting the seal. Jiraiya landed next to Minato supporting him.

"Did it work? Is it safe?" Minato nodded "It is safe, at least he will live" "Sensei take this letter with you, and take Naruto to Myoboku, train him and keep him there until he is strong enough"

"Don't tell him who I was or his mother until he is ready …"

"**IT'S TIME NAMIKAZE, I HAVE DONE YOUR BIDDING, NOW GIVE ME YOUR SOUL"**

"Thank you Death God, as my ancestors before me I have a great debt to you, I only leave with a single regret and that is not being able to see what kind of man Naruto will be…"

"**THEN WORRY NOT NAMIKAZE FOR YOU HAVE GIVEN ME A GREAT PRIZE TODAY, I WILL GIVE YOU A SMALL GLIMPSE OF YOUR CHILD'S FATE" **As the Death God said this he placed a hand on Minato's eyes and then closed them forever.

"Until he is ready for what!?" but Jiraiya could no longer feel life in his student, he was gone with a pleasant smile on his face. Jiraiya would always wonder what that smile meant…

Jiraiya standing on top of Gamabunta saw the destruction caused by the Kyuubi, indeed the great calamity came to an end but at a great price for not only two clans banished from this world but also an entire country.

He sought for survivors but couldn´t find a single soul, they all belonged to the ocean and their names to the wind.

Jiraiya looked down to a smiling Naruto "He has Kushina's smile and your face Minato"

"Don't worry Minato I will make him a legend I promise on my life that I won't fail you"

Then his serious expression changed to a more joyous one.

"Besides I need an heir for my series of books, they are after all a gift of love to mankind, he he he"

And so the Old Tales came to an end, a brave new future looms over the horizon with its heroes ready to write its legends

**AN: Finally done!!! That took me hours to finish, this might be one of the longest chapter ever written by someone I think.**** I know it's still a bit hard to read but I am new, I will improve as much as I can.**

**Ok, so some things for the next chapters:**

**They will be shorter than the first.**

**Naruto will be like in the manga/anime (personality) but with the twist of someone who was raised by Jiraiya (pervert) and a bunch of weird toads and any trait I decide to include as the story moves.**

**Naruto won't have companions on his adventures, at least none that lasts long with him.**

**This is a story that given the setting might be inclined to be a Naruharem story but in the end I expect to have decided on a firm pairing, don't throw ideas on this subject for the girls will be slightly OC's since they grew up in different places and I hate any kind of bashing, besides I think that characters that can bring such controversy are well made characters and so more real. Also don't expect too much drama on this subject.**

**There will be lemons but I am not very good with those (I will try none the less) but they are not the main focus of the story. (If someone is interested you can pm me and be my lemon writer, got to give some fan service right?)**

**As for ideas on how to progress the story, I already have a more or less well sculpted structure for it so don't throw them too soon wait for later chapters. Also since Naruto's adventure will take him to different places you can suggest which locations he visits next, for the story only have some crucial places that I will determine when he visits them, kind of like an RPG.**

**I am open for questions on the story and for suggestions to make it easier to read.**

**Also as I asked before, this is my first story and though I want to make it fully mine, I do need help on names, descriptions and symbols for the different clans. The last only to make me a better author and if you like the story I might write more in the future.**

**Expect updates every week and if you are lucky even 2 chapters per update!!!**


	3. How my journey began

**Chapter 2: How my journey began…**

"Man what a drag…" "sigh" "Pervy dad shouldn't have sent me away from Myoboku like that"

Spoke sadly and terribly annoyed a now 17 year old Naruto while striding the road towards the first town or city he could find.

"Not to mention his reasons were completely insane!!!"

**Flashback**

"**Jiraiya Sensei,**

**As I write this I am already prepared for the disaster that is to come upon all of us and all we can hope is that the sacrifice for victory is not too great. I hope my wife and most of our clans to survive this but If that weren't the case I entrust Naruto to you as my mother once entrusted me under your tutelage.**

**I can trust this task to no one else for there is none with your level of strength, courage and wisdom even though some people (Kushina) don't see it.**

**The reason for such request is out of my doubts concerning our impending doom, why from all times in history is such a creature revealing itself now?, why its attacking us so relentlessly?, why its path is straight to the city?**

**These questions lead me to one plausible conclusion; someone for unknown reasons has unleashed this beast upon us with the full intent of stopping the birth of our new nation and the joining of our clans, or even a more darker purpose.**

**I can think of a number of reasons of why other clans wouldn't want our strength to be so great but their lands and interests are far from ours and many of them wanted to establish relationships with us, even the Uchiha!**

**It is for this unknown enemy that I trust Naruto to you, should everyone else perish in battle, he is heir to both our clans and perhaps the greatest threat for this villain.**

**Take care of him, teach him, love him and give him the tools to carve his own name into history.**

**Minato.**

**P.S. For the love of God don't turn him into a pervert!**

Jiraiya now some years older walked to a laughing Naruto as he played with the toads from the mountain, many has been the years since the tragedy that left Naruto an Orphan and carrier of one of the most powerful entities this world has seen.

As Minato requested he trained Naruto in the many shinobi arts he learned during his years as a hermit traveling the land, and during his days as second in command of the Namikaze.

Naruto has grown to be a tall man, even more than his father, with a lean but strong body and as a Shinobi has already surpassed Jiraiya as a toad sage since his transformation was perfect.

His performance as a Shinobi was something that didn't go to well, Naruto was no genius like his parents, but he usually came through in unexpected ways, Jiraiya expected that his training as a Shinobi would be different since his special condition, his stamina and chakra were near endless, but this can be much of a blessing as it is a curse, his control was terrible at first and finesse is out from Naruto's vocabulary, he can't perform low chakra jutsus except henges and can't perform any kind of genjutsu or worse get out from one easily, making it his greatest weakness.

On the bright side the number of high powered jutsus he could perform was breathtaking and also repeat them, this turned his training into a better performance and to compensate for his lack of control and finesse, trained Naruto to be very sneaky as regular spies and assassins that couldn't control chakra. This combined with Naruto's almost natural talent for henges and shadow clones made him a very effective intruder when needed.

As for his genjutsu vulnerability the best he could teach him was how to identify when a genjutsu was in place or himself was trapped in one; Jiraiya told him that genjutsu operates within the circulation of chakra itself so the basic way to dispel it was interrupting the flow, but in Naruto's case to interrupt such vast amount of chakra was no easy task so Naruto decided that if chakra flow determined the effectiveness of genjutsu the best way for himself would be to push more chakra through his body, this made him feel dizzy but managed to dispel the genjutsu.

Naruto was also lacking in the seal area because the concepts were too difficult to grasp and required long periods of patience and study, two things Naruto was no good at all. Nonetheless Naruto did manage to learn the basics of seals but was far from being at his father's level.

Naruto's elemental affinities were wind and water, no surprise there given who his parents were, but was more talented in wind jutsus than water given that wind was more abundant.

Naruto's fighting abilities were limited to the use of normal ninja equipment and hand to hand combat with the frog style, since he disliked swords or any large weapons saying "They are to uncomfortable to be carrying them all day long" so Jiraiya decided that given the number of Shinobi who used long range weapons was high, left the mountain to fabricate Minato's weapon choice, the three pointed Kunai; Naruto was thrilled when he looked at the cool looking weapons but never imagined the real use of such artifacts, Jiraiya never knew how to perform the "Flying Thunder God Jutsu" though he had the scroll doubted Naruto could ever learn it. He would try to have Naruto learn it someday though but didn't have any hopes, but then again it was Naruto.

One of things that surprised Jiraiya was how quickly Naruto learned the Rasengan; Jiraiya annoyed Naruto with his constant remarks on his lack of talent so Naruto to prove him wrong promised him he would learn it in a week.

Naruto now a well trained Shinobi only lacked one thing that no amount of training could give him, actual experience; ever since the attack, Jiraiya brought Naruto with him and after reading the letter Minato left to him, never allowed Naruto to leave the mountain. Naruto's whole world was him, the toads and the mountain.

Jiraiya educated him the best way he could about the world beyond the mountain and the people living in it, but without actual experience this education was poorly cemented on Naruto who never shown any real interest, not even in the mythical women Jiraiya always spoke son fondly of. This made Jiraiya to extra worry about him and his future, after all what is life without love and excitement!?

So deciding that enough time has passed and Naruto was strong and resourceful enough to survive on his own, Jiraiya took Naruto gave him a "survival pack" and kicked him out from Myoboku, saying "Naruto, go forth and explore the world, learn from it, laugh in it, suffer in it, love in it; have a dream and make it true!!!" "Also score with as many women as you can!!!"

With this Naruto was on his road to a whole new world.

**AM: Ok this one is short compared to the previous ones, but it's just how he went into the world.**

**Also since Naruto never paid any attention to his academic instruction and Jiraiya didn't cared much either (nice pair eh?) he barely knows anything beyond what he learned with actual life experience so everything out there is pretty new for him; he will learn the hard way how the ninja age works!**

**Read and Review!**


	4. Senju

**Chapter 2: Senju**

"Cha!" A scream followed by a loud bang was heard through the forests belonging to the powerful and ancient Senju clan of the forests.

The Senju were one of the first clans to ever settle on the northern reaches of the Land of Fire, a large expanse of forests, flat grasslands, rivers and lakes, a land of eternal spring and beauty as some travelers used to say.

The Senju were considered to be mythical masters of nature for their rare Keke Genkai that allowed them to manipulate water and earth in such manner that seemed to create entire forests out from their own bodies or even from bare rock, this was one of the reasons the clan held festivals to honor the deities of the forest and kept a life of communion with nature.

But such ability has been disappearing from the clan as time passed and now only two members of the clan still posses such trait, this situation led the clan to incorporate lesser clans into its own as to not continue loosing strength in the face of such powerful neighbors of the land of Fire like the Sarutobi, Hyuga, and Uchiha.

One of such clans was the Haruno, a small clan that migrated from the land of Waterfalls and was welcomed by the Senju when they first tried to settle on the outskirts of the northern forest of the Land of Fire. The Harunos most appealing trait was their almost perfect chakra control that some said rivaled in efficiency that of the Hyuga, due to the clan's low chakra levels.

"Cha!!!" was heard again through the forests along with the powerful bang that followed.

"Hah ha ha" a loud confident laughter was heard, "Those damn rocks are nothing before my strength" sigh "but then again no man can compare to my strength and so they stay clear from me" sigh…

Sakura Haruno the youngest daughter of the Haruno clan, pride of the Senju and perhaps one of the most powerful women the land will come to know; she has long, strong but well toned legs, taller than most women in the clan, average breasts but tightly hugged by a sports bra under her top, bright pink hair, long to her waist but tied in two long braids with bandages and some hair on the tip to look stylish, beautiful emerald green eyes, white lightly tanned skin, and somewhat big forehead, but all in all a true beauty for most viewers.

Dressed in white and red as the colors of her clan a white tank top covered by a small opened zip up jacket with the white circle of her clan on the back, that allowed for her extremely well toned stomach to be shown, tight black shorts covered by a red and white mini skirt with pockets on the front and back, long black sandal boots with high heels all the way to her knees. Her hands covered in black combat gloves and elbows in pads.

"Clearing new roads on the forest is a man's job, why did they send a delicate flower to such humiliating job!?" "If they keep sending me to do this brute strength jobs all the time I will continue to keep all men away from me"

Indeed Sakura Haruno's special trait was her above the average chakra levels for a Haruno and her perfect Chakra control early in her life that called the attention of Tsunade Senju, princess of the Senju and sister to the current leader of the clan (Yes Nawaki is alive!!), she trained Sakura as her personal apprentice and turned her not only into a talented healer but a terrifying fighting machine. Her technique of gathering chakra into concentrated parts of her body and liberating it into a massive burst proved to be perfect for Sakura who has already proven herself worthy of all the terrible nicknames the bandits, thieves and some men of her village gave her over time.

Sakura may say that indeed her strength is what keeps men away from her but the reality was that her personality and strong character made the job easier, she usually confused advances from some men as perverted intentions and so proceeded to teach a new level of pain to said men. This warped idea of courting was thanks to her sensei and a bad experience with a white haired pervert some years ago (thanks Jiraiya…)

After sighing again over her loneliness she pumped her fist into the air and said "Bah, who needs those wimps!" "My man has to be as strong as I am, and be able to take a hit or two, anyway!"

And so she continued to take her anger on the innocent rocks of the forest…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"GROWLLLLLLL" sigh "Man I am so hungry" "I finished the rations pervy dad gave me and I haven't found a single village, city or person!!!"

"And to top it all, I am lost in this damn forest" "Not a single tasty fruit or insect (he lived with toads…)" it's like if every piece of food in this forest is hiding from me!"

"And this survival guide he gave doesn't help much either"

Jiraiya's awesome survival guide:

Hunt for food, cook it first! (a large number of pictures of edible animals and fruits along)

In cities money is needed for food, hotels, "entertainment", find a job!

Don't mess with others unless they mess with you first!

Be nice to small children!

Be really nice with beautiful women!

Help the helpless!

Take baths and brush your teeth!

Fight injustice!

Use protection!

Don't get married without my approval!!!

"I don't understand half of this things and I have never seen one of these women he speaks of all the time!"

Naruto has been travelling for a month now from the Mountain in his search for other human beings but so far his quest has been very unsuccessful (Well it's a ninja world so people tend to be concealed). He arrived to the Senju forest 3 days ago and as expected he got lost in it.

"CRASHHHH!!!" Naruto heard a loud noise almost like an avalanche so he rushed to the site and found what he thought was a gift by the gods for a large boulder had trapped a deer against a tree. Naruto's mouth became watery and he advanced on the defenseless deer like a hungry predator; the poor animal watching Naruto coming closer let out a desperate squeal that got to the pink haired Amazon's ears and rushed to the site.

Naruto got to the deer and thanked it for becoming his food but when he tried to get it out from under the boulder found that it was stuck, he considered using one of his jutsus to break the stone but might destroy the deer in the process so he had to remove the boulder carefully as to not harm his lunch.

Naruto got his hands together and started to gather nature chakra onto him, in an instant his eyes turned into those of a toad with orange/red shadows at his eye's sides, he took the large boulder and easily lifted it over his head effectively freeing the deer and leaving a gaping Sakura behind him.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Sakura was speechless to say the least for before her a vision she never expected to witness in her entire life was happening; a MAN yes A MAN was lifting a boulder twice his size with little effort and casting it aside like nothing (trashing several trees in the process, which is a crime in the Senju, way to go Naruto!).

Sakura sat her gaze on the tall blonde man who wasn't aware of her presence (hunger calls!!) yet.

This man was well a foot higher than her, had a sun kissed messy and spiky blonde hair that had a small pony tail, He was clad with a knee long red coat, with no hood and black flames pattern at the bottom and the wrists, black pants that went to a little below the knees, long black sandal boots (like hers but for males). He had a broad back and seemingly a well built constitution.

When he turned a little Sakura looked he was wearing a white button shirt with no collar, but she was trapped by his manly face, the smooth but strong jaw, the whisker marks on his cheeks, his tanned white skin, and the most mesmerizing electric blue eyes she had seen in her life (Actually the first blue eyes she had seen, details…)

She felt a pang in her chest and noticed her body heat rose quickly, especially on her face.

"What's wrong with me!?" wondered a now confused Sakura.

"He is obviously a Ninja but has no marks to identify him" but quickly dismissed the idea.

"He can't be bad, he helped that poor deer to get free"

"And he is amazingly strong, I think he is as strong as Tsunade sensei"

"**THIS IS IT! THE MAN OF OUR DREAMS!, HE IS HOT, HE IS STRONG AND I BET HE CAN TAKE A BEATING WITHOUT DYING" **roared inner Sakura with excitement.

"My god, is he the one I have been looking for?" thought Sakura with hope.

Sakura turned again to see the now man of her dreams only to be terribly disappointed as Naruto leapt forward like a hungry animal, to catch the deer which in turn managed to dodge him.

Naruto fell (no longer in sage mode) exhausted not considering that sage mode only tired him further.

Naruto begged to the deer "Please let me eat you, I freed you!, please" as he had tears in his eyes

Sakura was shocked, the man of her dreams was begging to an animal to let it be eaten, and not only that he seemed on the verge of tears as well.

"So much for my perfect man" sighed Sakura.

Naruto no longer able to move stopped moving and with a very dramatic tear in his eye said "Jiraiya, I swear I will haunt you when I die" saying this he passed out from hunger.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"mmm" "mmm" "gasp" "huh?" Naruto awakened in a light green room on the softest thing he had ever touched (he slept on giant leaves) he wanted to get back to sleep, but as he were closing his eyes, he thought "Wasn´t I in a forest", at this he jumped out from the bed silently only to realize he was dressed in a very light white gown, and upon further inspection also noticed that he had no underwear and had an IV connected to his arm. Feeling scared, trapped and dizzy over his weak condition gave a scream "Where am I!?!?"

At this Tsunade and Sakura quickly entered the room where Naruto was placed and what they saw made them blush and almost faint. Before them Naruto had ripped his gown and was trying to carefully remove the IV from his arm, but was too scared to touch it.

Naruto glanced at them and brought a huge smile to his face as he shout "Finally some people!!!" "Damn it took me long enough to find you guys" he said all this while standing in his birthday suit in front of them and with no shame at all (not that he had to be ashamed in both ladies minds)

"Would you mind removing this thing from my arm? It feels weird"

The two women finally out from their daze (drooling) after witnessing such male body went red with anger and proceeded to forcefully grab (grope) him, dressed him in a new gown and tie him up to the bed, and spent half hour screaming him for his "indecent behavior".

Finally after a lot of screaming and a near crying Naruto, the two women finally relaxed, stopped blushing over some "memories" and started to make their duty as Senju ninja by interrogating him. This didn't went well because Naruto's answers were impossible to believe but sounded so honest that they had trouble discerning if he was a great liar, or a complete nut case.

"Ok, so you come from the fabled mountain of the toads Myoboku that no other mortal eyes has seen and was kicked out by your own father so that you could meet the rest of the world?"asked a now tired Tsunade while looking closely at this young man that reminded him so much of his small brother.

"You understand that it's hard to believe any of this right"

"Why? I answered all your questions truthfully" answered a now slightly angry Naruto who felt very uncomfortable under the scrutiny of such strange creatures, they kind of looked like him but their clothes and bodies were different from his, he wondered if they were just very unfortunate guys or if some special training made them like this, after all sage training gave you toad features.

"Can you prove it" "I mean that you really come from such place" asked Sakura who was still trying to figure out her thoughts about the blonde.

"Hell yeah I can prove it, bring me my pack and I will show you" said a now relieved Naruto, maybe with this they would give him back his clothes at least.

"Here you are, show us" said Tsunade as she passed him his pack.

Naruto started to rummage through his stuff looking for a good proof of his home; he was taking out several books, scrolls, a few of his kunai, and the like.

"Here!!!" Naruto grinned widely as he flashed them his Myoboku ID card, in it had his picture from last year that certified him to ride on top of the giant toads (thought it was funny).

Both women blinked twice looking at the ridiculous ID that depicted the grinning idiot, and the small smiling toads on it as well as his personal info like blood type, and address.

"See? I am from Myoboku and that is my license to ride on toads, they never give them unless you pass a lot of tests and safety protocols" he grinned at his own greatness.

Building a lot of anger thinking he was playing with them Tsunade and Sakura screamed at his face "What kind of idiots you think we are!?" at this the whole hospital trembled in fear, someone was due to meet his ancestors.

At this Naruto almost jumped and dropped his pack, from it a small photo album slid out calling both banshees attention; Sakura took it and was surprised when she opened it.

The album depicted a baby Naruto in the arms of what it looked like a female old toad and behind her many toads of different shapes, colors, sizes and clothing watching at the small baby. The next picture had an older Naruto grinning along with two other small toads while carrying a lot of candy. Another depicted a terror filled Naruto as he stood before a huge Toad with a pipe. The next shown a smiling Naruto with a bunch of painted toad statues behind him, immediately after that picture, another one had a Naruto with a huge bump on his head and an angry old toad by his side.

The next page had Naruto at his current age posing valiantly, it looked silly but Sakura secretly wanted to keep that picture.

"Well it looks like you were saying the truth after all, you do come from the toad mountain" "So that makes you a sage right" said a now intrigued Tsunade; she had met before a pervert who claimed to be a sage himself but never proved it.

"Yeah, dad said that once I completed my transformation I would become a sage, and I finally made it 2 years ago" said Naruto with a huge smile, proud of himself, after all many attempted it and only a handful obtained such title.

"But why were you kicked out? Are you not a sage now? You can go back right? Asked Sakura, finding the mystery quite interesting.

Naruto scratched his head and said "He said that I needed to meet the rest of the world" "You see, this is my first time outside of the mountain in all the time I can remember"

This piece of information made Tsunade wonder about how many things Naruto was ignorant of, it was like having little brother all over again (Yeah she has that kind of complex). On her side Inner Sakura thought "**CHANCE!!!" "I can mold this guy into my dream man!!!"**

Before Naruto could continue Tsunade and Sakura were at his face offering themselves to show him around and explain "anything" he had doubts on.

Naruto being surprised over such generosity thanked them and asked his first question to another human being "Could you guys show me a woman?" "My dad always spoke fondly of them but never showed me one"

Naruto rested soundly that night with two large bumps on his head…

**AN: Ok, done hope you like it, I think I am improving at this what do you think?**

**I know humor is a bit silly but then again I am new to this. Next chapter gets things rolling for Naruto's time with the Senju.**

**Tsunade is around her mid 30's she is not using any henge she is just a genius. To make things clear, Jiraiya is 50, Tsunade is 34 and Orochimaru is 40. The sannin did meet in my story but under different circumstances, remember this is a non unified ninja world.**

**Read and review!**


	5. Stroll through the city

**Chapter 3: ****Stroll through the city**

As he was sleeping Naruto smelled the nice fragrance of lilies and with eyes still shut reached for the origin of such nice scent hugging it closely and taking on it as much as he could.

A very surprised and hard blushing Shizune was trying to remain as calm as possible; she was being hugged by the patient she came to check upon.

"Oh my god!, he is going to rape me!!" She squirmed trying to get loose from his grip which in turn only became harder and leaving her hands unable to do hand signs.

"Please Sir I didn´t do anything to you, let me go!" Shizune said but when the patient didn´t replied, she turned her head and saw that he was still asleep. Now relieved that it was only a small misunderstanding she gently twirled around in his arms and tapped his whiskered cheek with her hand to wake him up. This in turn made Naruto to snuggle on Shizune who became surprised on his action and started to feel more and more embarrassed.

Every time she tried to get away from his grip he would only hug her tighter or in a different position. Shizune was now tired of her struggle and she had to admit it was starting to feel nice; he was strong, big (for her), and very warm. Shizune hadn't been intimately with a man in a looong time so she decided that if she couldn't escape might as well enjoy it. So she readjusted herself to be more comfortable and allowed sleep to overcome her.

30 minutes later…

"Stand out of my way Tsunade sensei!" "He is too young for you!" said a stomping Sakura alongside her sensei.

"Hmpf, maybe he is a bit tender but far more a woman without experience can handle" "you should let him to me so you can watch and learn, maybe then you can finally land a man" retorted an amused Tsunade.

Tsunade may be Sakura's sensei but their relationship is more of sisters than anything else, they became friends right after Tsunade's fiancé died in combat against a group of wandering rogues (mercenary ninja). Tsunade became very affective of her younger brother, the last man in her life (complex!), and also took Sakura at Yamato's (Regent of Senju) request, as her disciple.

"Shut up old hag you have had only one boyfriend in your life, so don't say you have that much more experience than me!"

Tsunade suddenly stopped at this while Sakura knew she had said something awful, she was about to apologize when Tsunade grabbed her and shut her into a janitor's closet. Laughing she said "Don't worry Sakura I am a genius so no real experience is needed, ha ha ha"

Sakura was furious, she forgot that Tsunade overcame her single status a long time ago, as long as she could be near her little brother, "That pervert, she is going to use Naruto to accomplish her sick fantasies, I won't allow it!" Sakura blasted the door and ran to Naruto's room only to find a petrified Tsunade standing at the entrance.

Seeing her in such state worried her about Naruto's condition, so she entered the room only to be petrified as well, there in the bed was the shy and petite Shizune, Tsunade's other apprentice in healing, asleep and snuggling to Naruto's chest with his arms around her.

Both screamed "What the Hell!?" at this Naruto's eyes shot open and he realized he had company in the bed, and paled when he looked at the two frightening women standing at the door.

Shizune woke up slower than Naruto, and noticed the fear in his eyes, and so she looked for the cause, and so she feared as well.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

After a long litany of screams, death threats and a severe scolding, the whole matter was left behind with two women already scheming on how to get in such position themselves and the third being thankful for such good luck.

Naruto was taken to different areas of the hospital to have several checkups since he didn't knew what a doctor was until explained. When he was asked about his health his answers were once again unbelievable because according to him he never got sick, not even close and never got severely injured or had any broken bones. Upon closer inspection the only mark left on his body where the unusual but cute (According to Tsunade and Sakura) whisker marks on his face.

Naruto was then taken to the showers and they explained him how it worked, both offered to show him more personally but Naruto sensed that wouldn't be such a great idea given his recent violent encounters with them.

Once cleaned he got back his clothes, that were almost sparkling after laundry. Once dressed in his full attire he was escorted out by his two hostesses. On the way out some men were giving him apologetic looks for who his very interested company was, most of the women were continuously eyeing him while licking their lips, and most of the younger men looked angrily at him.

Naruto thought "These people sure are strange, but then again maybe, I am the strange one for them" "According to dad I have to learn as much as I can about this world" "Seems that the sooner I learn the sooner these awkward moments will stop"

"So girls, where is a good place to learn stuff, there is a ton of things I don't understand…" But was cut speechless as they walked outside the hospital and out into the city.

Before him the great city of "Green keep" sprawled to the very skirts of the Senju forest. This city had the particularity of having most of its buildings painted with white walls and differently colored roofs of several green tones. In almost every street one could find several kinds of trees and plants. On the eight main streets that were quite large and all were directed towards the center of the city; had some really large trees that seemed to house buildings on its trunks and tops. At the middle of the city Naruto was awed by the sheer size of the Tree standing some good 200 yards into the sky, it was so thick it covered most of the city's central square and in the middle of it, the likes of a palace was built on it but at the same time it looked like part of the tree itself.

The city was founded almost a millennia ago by the Great father of the Senju, Hashirama (I know he is Tsunade's granddad but play along ok?); a man that never lost a single battle and acquired a whole new level of empathy with nature, by learning its secrets and some suspected learning nature's language itself.

The great tree was seeded by Hashirama himself and blessed by the entire clan back in the day. The tree still stands strong and its leaves only fall when a member of its family dies and is interred in its roots.

Every new clan or family that joins the Senju must seed their own tree in a very rigorous ceremony as a symbol of allegiance and acceptance of the Senju ways to their own, thus making the forest rich in many different kinds of trees for every family's spirit influences how the tree grows and looks like.

Some of these trees looked like giant flowers, other only had leaves, another had multi colored leaves, truly a very awesome display of nature´s communion with man.

In some high towers, the banners proudly displayed the Senju clan symbol; two oddly shaped tridents pointing in opposite directions and joined by the middle. Beneath it also displayed in different smaller banners the different smaller clans that were loyal to the Senju.

Naruto asked about those banners and what they meant, to which Sakura explained that since the Senju settled this lands it required a larger number of people to keep watch and produce prosperity in the face of the more populated neighboring clans. Smaller clans that were fleeing from loosing battles or natural disasters found safe haven in the well natured Senju and offered them their strength in exchange; a lot of people became mingled with the Senju thus their identity changed and the Senju grew in number, but their Kekei Genkai started to weaken or disappear from its members, just a few clans still remained as their own but in service to the Senju.

Tsunade told him of her heritage and how her adored little brother along with their cousin Yamato, were the only wood element users left in the clan.

One of the main distinction among the several ninja that were patrolling or just passing was their uniforms, they were of light green pants and long sleeved shirts of the same color, on top had a multipurpose deep green vest with several pockets and weapon holsters, had black sandals and the Senju clan displayed on a white patch on the left shoulder.

One of the interesting equipment they carried were their leaf patterned kunai and in their more senior members, wooden staffs that were recognized for being harder and lighter than most steels.

As Naruto and her hostesses walked, his nose picked up a nice smell, he got derailed as he followed his nose to a food stand and admire the different assortments of food. Tsunade and Sakura walked up close to him and imagined that this was the first time he saw human cooked food.

"So Naruto, want something to eat?, our treat" said a smiling Sakura. This caught Naruto off guard, it was the first time he saw Sakura truly smiling and not with a smirk, or an annoyed scowl on her face; he felt something strange but thought that for some reason he thought it was a nice trait in women.

"And of course during night I can take you out for dinner and some hot coffee" said Tsunade interrupting his thoughts while pressing her ample "attributes" on his back and whispering to his ears. In turn this surprised Naruto again as he actually enjoyed having his personal space invaded in such manner, once again he didn't knew what it was, but still another nice trait of women.

"Yes please I would like very much to try this, all I could eat on Myoboku were the special insect meals Ma chan made for me and my brothers (I said before he lived with toads and insects are high in proteins) and the rice balls dad makes" said Naruto in a very casual manner.

Sakura and Tsunade almost threw up at this but decided that since Naruto was this tall and strong maybe such diet wasn't all that disgusting, but they rather have average food and workout…

Sakura ordered for Naruto a piece of well cooked deer meat with an assortment of fried vegetables.

Naruto tasted and at the first bite he was paralyzed by such flavor, then his eyes almost shined as he started to shove down all the food on the plate and ordered a second, a third and all the way up to the ninth plate. Sakura and Tsunade were shocked by his voracity that mimicked a starved animal.

Having finished and looking very satisfied, Naruto turned to Sakura and embraced her in a huge bear hug saying "That was the most amazingly delicious thing I have tasted in my life I promise to repay you such generosity!!!"

Sakura was in bliss as she took the time to also hug him (grope him as well) and desired to be like that for a long time.

Tsunade was certainly losing ground here so she separated them and told Naruto if he wanted a dessert, he nodded, after all if one thing was amazing the next would be the same. Before walking away the owner of the food stand asked for his money, only then did Tsunade and Sakura remembered that in the shock of the morning they forgot their purses in the hospital locker room.

Both looked worried but then Naruto asked the man if he needed money for the food, the man nodded losing his patience and handed over the bill. Naruto took his Gama-chan wallet and produced several sparkling golden coins and a few precious stones. The man was speechless; each coin was worth almost 50 plates, but Naruto didn't demand any change since the food was so wonderful.

Sakura and Tsunade asked where he got such pure gold coins; apparently Myoboku was loaded with gold veins and that Ma chan extracted some of it for Naruto, as for the precious stones those were usually at the lake bed of the valley in Myoboku.

By nightfall Naruto was loaded with Ice cream and a couple of frozen brain attacks; but never the less happy he met such wonderful persons, now he understood why Jiraiya said to be really nice to women they can be very nice to you in exchange. Another thing Naruto also came to realize was that he enjoyed those touches, hugs and glances both women spent the whole day giving him; those sensations felt very pleasant but also he got this inner warm and desire to have more and more.

Naruto was walking and laughing with both women when the realization of night hit him so he asked if anyone knew one of these hotels Jiraiya spoke of. Of course both women had a very different idea of what that question suggested, did he actually asked both of them to spend the night with him!?

Both women were flustered and didn't knew what to say, but in their luck a group of 4 ninja landed surrounding Naruto, who in turn got ready for whatever might happen.

Tsunade quickly grabbed one of the ninja by the neck and demanded what was going on, Naruto was his guest.

"Tsunade-hime, the regent demands we bring the foreigner before his presence!" answered another clearly worried ninja.

"Yamato?" "So strange that he is interested in a foreigner"

"Fine!" "but I will escort him!" declared a now authoritarian Tsunade. The ninjas bowed and disappeared.

She turned to Naruto with a smile, "it seems you will be spending the night at my place" "See you tomorrow Sakura" said Tsunade in a sing song voice while grabbing Naruto by the arm and leading him to the Senju palace…

Sakura was in a rage but vowed she wouldn't lose her destined man that easily, she was now a woman with a mission.

**AN: Sorry if the city walk felt silly with both women trying to get Naruto. Hope you liked the descriptions of the Senju.**

**For all the Naru/Pairing merciless soldiers out there, the main and definite pairing of Naruto is not yet decided; there are a lot of women, lands and events that will happen before I decide that. This flirting is meant for Naruto to discover his own "maturity" and so let him grow up. Also it's for fun, so take it easy!**

**So Naruto now goes before the top brass of the Senju, expect the story to pick up in the next chapter as Naruto starts his path into this world.**

**I will try to have Naruto learn faster the ways of the human world as well as his own Jinchuuriki nature and the repercussions on his life.**

**The reason of why his Jinchuuriki nature hasn't arisen yet it's because he have had a happy life and the sage training supplied him with all the chakra he needed, but don't worry the little fox is there.**

**Ask any questions regarding the story so far, I am trying to reply to all my reviewers so give me your best shot.**

**Read and review!**


	6. Ninja

**Chapter 4: Ninja**

**Quick AN: Sorry for the late update, but my Internet betrayed me during weekend and got it back today. Also updates will go slower from now on for quality and time purposes.**

**Warning! This chapter contains a little bit of gore by the end of it so no complaints later!**

Naruto found himself amazed for the second time in a day for as he walked into the Senju palace saw the most incredible building he has seen. The interior of the palace that was incrusted to the great tree was like a grand hall with several floors attached to the sides of the inner structure and one could watch the last floor from the very entrance making the palace to look much bigger than it was. Every wall and door in it had engravings that depicted nature, Senju history, great battles, victories, defeats all In all the tree as the rings in its base told the story of the Senju.

Naruto was escorted by Tsunade through many halls all that seemed inspired by the different seasons and cycles of nature. The servants were all richly dressed in the manner of the season and also their duties inside the palace. The guards here didn't looked like the other ninja, but a heavily armored version of them, this armor's plates and accessories resembled leaves made of the same wood as their special staffs.

Finally Tsunade and Naruto reached the Ancestors Hall, a magnificent hall decorated with statues of all the former clan leaders and prominent members of the clan. At the end seating one across the other Nawaki, current clan head, and Yamato, regent until Nawaki reaches age and strength, were discussing the daily goings and comings of the clan.

"Sis! It's nice to see you!" Nawaki enthusiastically greeted his sister but was silently scolded by Yamato who once again reminded him of his position as clan head.

"Sorry about that" "It is good to see you Tsunade, and it's also a nice surprise to see you brought the foreigner that Sakura found roaming our forests"

"Nawaki, you usually don't ask for every foreigner to be brought before authorities, not to mention that it's our way to help those who become stranded in the forest"

Yamato decided to answer that one "True that such is our way but this man according to Sakura's report was hunting and in the process destroyed several of the forest's trees which you know are sacred and vital for our defensive purposes"

Naruto knowing he was being accused of misbehavior spoke quickly "But I was hungry!" "I had spent 3 days without any food and was desperate"

He the bowed and said "I am very sorry for the damage and the insult to your people"

Tsunade was about to silence him before he said something very stupid but Naruto was faster.

"Please tell me what I can do to repair you for this"

Yamato knew he had the rumored sage in his grasp with those words and so with a very creepy smile continued

"Well according to Sakura's medical checkup, you claim to be a sage, is that right?"

"Yes Sir, I am the new sage of Myoboku" answered a now nervous Naruto, his first time among humans and already in trouble.

"Then show me evidence of your skill, after all Sages are referred as ninja of superb prowess"

Naruto didn't knew what to do, Jiraiya made a very clear point to always keep his status and origins a secret, and he had already told two persons of this and a third one was asking to see his abilities. This was bad, for Jiraiya also told him to keep his actions and abilities in a low profile.

"Well?" asked a now angry looking Yamato.

Naruto gulped and knew he had screwed up big time, deception is the lifeblood of ninja and he failed miserably in his first quest. Having no options left he decided to ask for a small request.

"If I show you, would you keep it a secret?" "The last thing you or anyone needs, is that your clan is holding a sage with themselves"

Naruto managed to remember that one of the main traits of the ninja age, was that every clan was looking for ways to overcome the others, every asset mattered and often leaded to bloody battles in order to restore balance.

"So the kid isn't as dumb as he looks" thought Yamato "Very well if you demonstrate your skill as a sage I will keep your status as a secret" "I give you my word as regent and member of Senju"

Naruto being content with his answer proceeded to make a gathering of Chakra, he was amazed by the color of the chakra in this part of the world as it sparkled with a beautiful emerald color.

In an instant Naruto opened his eyes showing his features as sage, hoping that this would be enough to satisfy the regent.

Yamato was indeed impressed, his skill in wood element allowed him to feel the gathering of chakra, an almost could touch the power Naruto was radiating at the moment. He decided that a more flashy display would demonstrate the extent of his skill.

"Would you please lift the central table?" "It's a small test for someone so skilled I believe"

Said table was almost as old and sturdy as the palace itself, not to mention that it was large enough to sit 50 people around it and was made with a very heavy kind of wood. The thing alone had to weight around 5 tons.

Naruto nodded and proceeded to get under the table by its center, and with a small huff, lifted the table over his head.

Nawaki, Tsunade and Yamato were impressed beyond words, not even Tsunade had that kind of strength; her current record was 2 tons and pushing her limits.

Naruto seeing his demonstration was enough placed the table delicately on the floor and dispelled his sage mode. "Pleased?" asked a rather proud blonde.

Yamato being the first to escape his stupor answered with caution "Very much lord Naruto, indeed the legends about the Sages seems to be very accurate" "Then as for the reparation you offered for our damaged forest, we have been having trouble with a rather large group of mercenary ninja assaulting caravans of supplies coming and going from Green Keep"

"This particular group is quite skilled and so has evaded every hunting party we have sent to engage them"

"Apparently their leader is a disgraced ninja from our own clan, who abandoned their comrades during a skirmish with Uchiha elite ninja some years ago, before the armistice was signed"

"He claimed that the battle was over before it began and that it was futile to try and fight them" "This coward then escaped when he was found guilty of duty dereliction and sentenced to forced labor for 10 years" " We didn't learned of his whereabouts until 8 months ago when the attacks started"

Naruto now interested of what was his role in this, asked "And what exactly can I do for you Lord Regent?"

Yamato smiled seeing the willingness of the Sage, "Simple, accompany our ninja and hunt down and destroy these bandits"

"Destroy?" Naruto mumbled "You mean as in kill them?"

Tsunade and Nawaki saw the nervousness in his eyes but remained silent, for this was part of their daily affairs as ninja

"Exactly…"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto was assigned alongside Sakura, with a group of 4 trackers to find and eliminate the threat posed by the rogue ninja and his band.

Sakura noticed that Naruto was troubled, because he had remained silent most of the first day of searching. Night at camp she ate her ration in silence while Naruto barely touched his and looked all the more troubled.

"Naruto, are you worried?"

"Who? Me?" "Of course not I am the great Sage Naruto!" said a very unconvincing Naruto while trembling a little.

"It's ok if you are scared, I was very scared and on the verge of tears during my first mission and it was only a recon mission"

Sigh "I guess I am not very good concealing my emotions eh?" "The thing is that while I was training, I never got real missions with parameters and orders involved" "I always knew I was safe and that the toads were looking out for me"

"I think it's because I realized that this time I am all alone"

Sakura saw for the first time a vulnerable Naruto who always were confident, loud and smiling like if everything was fine. She reached for his hand and gently said.

"Maybe you are away from home, but you stand with a friend" said Sakura while smiling.

"A friend?" "Really?" "Wow, thanks Sakura-chan, it means a lot, you are my first friend since I came out from Myoboku" Sakura smiled while blushing for such affective honorific

After this Naruto devoured his ration and went with Sakura to speak with the rest of the team.

The team consisted of 3 veteran trackers and a 14 year old rookie who was receiving her very first mission. She was Riku Hisai, a tanned brunette and in everyone's opinion a very sweet girl with lots of energy.

"Lord Naruto!!" "Please sit with me I always heard of sages and their skill but never thought I would meet one!!"

The young girl was almost jumping at her desire to hear whatever Naruto had to say. And so Naruto spent the whole night retelling his life with the toads to the tracking team. Naruto learned there of this young girl and her dreams for the future, which were to one day get enough money to open a specialized guidance agency for travelers going through the forest an help them on their journeys; she also confessed that she hated violence but this was the only way to learn the skills required and doing her part for the clan.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"It's been two days since we started searching and nothing still" said a frustrated tracker captain.

"That bastard was really good on tracking so of course he knows this forest better than anyone"

Sakura was also starting to lose her patience, this mission was going nowhere and Naruto was always bogged down by the hyperactive Riku, so no space for some relationship development.

"Lord Naruto, on Myoboku they taught you how to track?"

"I am afraid that the only thing I learned to track were toads and in a jungle environment" "This is my first time in a forest"

Naruto smiled and said "So what about you becoming my personal guide through the forest next time I set out into it?" This made Riku to stutter and go a deep crimson color, everyone laughed and Sakura got even more annoyed. Naruto just flirted with a girl and didn't knew that himself.

As time passed Naruto became annoyed as well for the many days that have gone by, and not to mention the bad memories of being stranded in the forest. So he decided to try an idea he had once in Myoboku, to look for his night cap he had lost the day earlier.

So pumping his hand in the air he said "Alright!" "Stand clear I am going to find these guys even if I have to flood the entire forest"

The others knowing better stood away from Naruto who made a single hand sign and screamed "Shadow clone Jutsu!!!"

In an instant over a 100 perfectly solid Naruto clones stood in formation in front of the original who screamed in authoritarian voice "Alright boys transform yourselves into different animals and search for anyone suspicious going through the forest!!"

"Yes sir!" screamed the clones as they henged themselves into rabbits, squirrels, deers and other animals from the forest, and leapt into all directions. Naruto satisfied with his genius turned to his teammates who were standing in awe.

Sakura was about to compliment him but Riku jumped exited "WOW that was incredible, the shadow clones are one of the hardest and most chakra consuming jutsus of all, and you made like a hundred!"

"Indeed that Jutsu is quite useful but consumes a large amount of chakra, are you feeling ok?" asked Sakura curious as to how Naruto was still standing after expending so much chakra.

"Heh, thanks" "And no, I always been able to create that many without breaking a sweat, my actual record without passing out is 300"

Sakura wondered if the sage training allowed having such large chakra reserves, or if this had anything to do with his strange near perfect health and physique.

"So now what?" asked one of the trackers.

"We wait for one of my clones to dispel, and the info he gained will return to me, that way we will locate them and lay an ambush for them, I advice for everyone to get rest and be ready to move out immediately"

At this the team sat down and waited in silence wondering if the Sage's strategy would work.

Nearly two hours had gone by since the shadows went forward; Sakura and the trackers were spacing out when Naruto called "Got them!" "Almost two miles ahead!"

"About time!" said Sakura as she fixed her combat gloves.

The entire team leapt to the trees; strangely Riku was silent as they moved.

Naruto took point as the rest of the team took a spread formation with Sakura covering the rear; they reached the enemies encampment 15 minutes later, finding them dividing the spoils from their last assault, Naruto noticed thanks to his shadow clone that the bandits placed several traps around their perimeter, but where basic and only intended to alert them of enemy presence in their perimeter, which made them easy to evade or deactivate, apparently they didn't wanted to waste weapons unnecessarily.

Sakura rounded them up to make an attack plan, basically she and Naruto would unleash hell upon the bandits and deal with their leader in the process, the rest of the team was to be placed as a security net in order to avoid any escapees from the camp with ranged attacks, after all they were trackers and had a rookie with them, no need for unnecessary risks.

Sakura went around the camp and prepared herself to cause a ruckus and create confusion, at that moment Naruto would come in from behind and eliminate as many targets as possible, leaving for last the rogue ninja.

Naruto was in position awaiting the initial attack as the rest of the team took positions around the camp. Naruto thought that perhaps killing wasn't necessary for the intended objective was to incapacitate the bandits and capture the rogue ninja, wounding them in ways that wouldn't allow them to move should be enough. He prepared his Kunai and remembered the places Jiraiya thought him to incapacitate an enemy.

"CHA!!!" screamed Sakura as she landed striking in the middle of the camp making the ground to collapse and explode around her creating a dense cloud of dust that took the bandits completely off guard.

At this Naruto jumped from his position with his heart beating faster than ever, he finally was in a real life or death situation, as he found the first target he threw a Kunai to his leg, knowing he got him by his scream continued for the next targets, hitting them both on arms and legs since they had weapons in hand, immediately after hearing the loud screams proceeded to kick and punch the bandits that were scattered in close proximity, making knock down punches on them.

Sakura on her side was landing her devastating punches to any bandit that came in close proximity, such punches were lethal.

Once the cloud started to disperse Naruto and Sakura had already rejoined and were now facing the rogue ninja who was the last man standing. Said ninja was clearly surprised they found him and more that Senju would send such formidable team just to bring him down. Knowing his fate he prepared to face his opponents but knew this was a lost battle.

Naruto spoke to Sakura's surprise "Please give up!" "You are clearly outmatched here and there is no way you can escape us" "You and your encampment are surrounded!"

Sakura hushed him and spoke softly "You idiot!" "We don't speak to the target and we don't give him info on our battle status!" Naruto went a bit red feeling embarrassed for such a rookie mistake.

"Sorry Sakura-chan I just thought…" Naruto was interrupted when the rogue ninja in a desperate attempt threw his entire array of kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags hoping he got them, he wasn't going down without a fight.

But Naruto and Sakura were standing right by his side, his attack served as a screen for them as well and moved to intercept. Before Sakura could deliver the finishing blow, Naruto had grabbed the rogue and had him in a submissive headlock grapple as he demanded his surrender.

"Give up!" "You are defeated and your gang is out cold as well!" Naruto said confident in his victory.

The rogue ninja angry with Naruto said "Give up!?" "hah, don't make me laugh boy"

"Even if I did gave up, to what life would the Senju sentence me to?" "Unending years of forced labor in the mines!?" "And if I survive to what life would I return?" "No one will hire a disgraced ninja and much less an old battered one!" "Death sounds more merciful!" "And that was probably what you were sent here to do in the first place!" "Your pretty friend here didn't flinched even once as she crushed those men!"

"What!?" "You mean that the guys Sakura-chan punched are dead!?" asked a very surprised Naruto.

"She is Tsunade's apprentice isn't she?" "Tsunade's monstrous strength can crush anything; even if they look knocked out their insides are pulverized, more likely their hearts exploded on such impacts!"

Sakura looked uncomfortable with the look of surprise on Naruto's face, this was his first mission and probably never saw a death person before, much less met with a real ninja that took others life. Being Ninja was a rather unique experience but it had its ugly sides, Sakura had an easier time coping with this since she was born in a Ninja clan and expected that she would kill someday, also had a sensei and many comrades to get support from. Naruto was alone and in a mission he was more forced into than requested to be in.

Sakura tried to speak but a loud female scream pierced from one of the nearby tents, Riku with an arrow sticking out from her chest stumbled out and collapsed coughing blood.

Naruto seeing this, felt like it was a dream, Riku was supposed to be safe on one of the nearby trees watching the whole thing not be in the middle of the encampment and now wounded.

"Hah hah!" "Seems like one of my guys survived your attack!" "Poor girl!" "hah hah" "At least I have the satisfaction of taking one of you down with me!" "Hah hah hah hah !!"

At this something in Naruto broke, he started to feel a bit dizzy as everything started to acquire a red hue and sound seemed to be distant. Sakura was running to Riku's side as the rest of the team landed establishing a defensive perimeter.

The rogue was still laughing in his grip, and before long was the only thing he could hear.

"**KILL HIM…" "HE KILLED RIKU" "HE MADE YOU LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT" "HE IS LAUGHING!!" "THEY ARE ALL LAUGHING!!" "KILL THEM ALL!!!!!"**

In that moment as the rogue continued laughing he felt Naruto's grip on his neck to get harder cutting his breathing but it didn't stopped, it continued to get harder and harder, he tried to tap him in signal of surrender but when he tried to look up the only thing he got was a white grin with two long canines and some broad marks to the sides of his mouth.

He tried to scream but in that moment Naruto's arm twisted his head so violently and with such force that it came out flying and landed at Naruto's side; his body convulsed and started sprouting blood, But Naruto was no longer there, he was standing near all the bandits he injured without killing, and one by one stroke them down crushing their necks.

The rest of the team saw with a certain amount of fear the bloody spectacle of the rogue ninja's head flying off and then Naruto stomping on the necks of the fallen bandits.

Once he was done he went into the tent were Riku was shot and found the bandit trying to fit another arrow on his crossbow. Naruto took the crossbow from him and fitted the arrow on it, then he lifted the bandit to his eyes, the bandit had his eyes closed but when nothing was happening and Naruto was just keeping him standing to his face; the bandit opened his eyes and witnessed something that no mortal is really prepared to face, at this he let out a scream of horror that was barely audible as a grinning Naruto shot the arrow from under the bandits mouth, making the arrow to pierce his head from below.

Once his carnage parade was over, he remembered Riku and so his anger dissolved.

Naruto kneeled beside her; Sakura had already broken the arrow and applied the first aid treatments to try and stop the bleeding but feared she had lost too much blood already.

"Hey Lord Naruto, is the mission successful?" "Did you beat them all?" asked a weakened Riku

"Yes we accomplished the mission but why did you broke formation, why didn't you wait for the clear?"

"Remember my dream?" "I needed money to get started but working as ninja was too dangerous and I would never gather enough to withdraw from this life" "I guessed that the bandits had more than enough money, and I would take some before you finished" "Guess I won't retire from being a ninja anymore"

Riku coughed a little more "I was always afraid and I hated the prospect of fighting and taking lives" "All I wanted was to fly through the trees of this wonderful forest" "Help people and live happily with my family"

"Now the only relief I have left, is that I won't have to fight anymore" "Lord Naruto I am scared but at least I tried"

Like this Riku Hisai passed away having lost too much blood her dreams and hopes drowned in the violence of this age that have taken the innocence of so many and will continue to do so indifferently for many generations to come…

"Riku! Riku!" Naruto screamed not knowing what to do. "Please wake up!" "Who is going to guide me through the forest!?" "Who is going to help the travelers!?" "Who, who … who"

Naruto's tears were dropping as he continued to ask with a diminishing voice as he witnessed the passing of someone he came to think of as a friend.

Naruto turned his head desperately trying to find something that may help Riku but instead saw the grim looks of his teammates, and the sad look in Sakura.

He turned once again breathing harder and faster and saw the horror of several bodies lying motionless on the ground, the one's he injured now had crushed necks that looked flat and the rogue ninja's body was still convulsing and dropping some blood while it's head was laid a few meters from its body. Something in his gut told him he had done it but at the same time was like he really didn't.

Naruto with an increased panic for the whole situation let out a loud scream filled with pain and anguish, he cried of real grief by the first time in his life. A friend had died and his hands were now stained with the blood of another human being, the ninja age just claimed another victim to fuel its rage…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

As to Senju tradition, every warrior from the clan is to be buried under one of the mighty trees that grew in the forest, as to give them new life and the chance to be close to those left behind. Those belonging to a particular clan were buried under their family tree and those who were regulars from the Senju took a place in the forest, the entire forest was home to the clan in this life and the next, so no grave was seen in Senju.

After a few words the team had successfully completed their mission with a single casualty and decided to spend one last night with their fallen comrade.

Naruto was seated alone next to the fire while the rest of the team decided to give him space, out of respect for his pain and fear from what they witnessed, in their minds the rage of a sage is to be feared.

Sakura seeing his struggle got close to him, and placed her arms around him in a tender hug and lead his head to rest on her shoulder. He didn't fight it and actually embraced her as well, human contact was still new for him but this time it just felt right…

**AN: Done! Once again I apologize for the late update but Internet can be a bitch sometimes.**

**I think that this is my best chapter so far and a very important one at that, for this lays the foundations for Naruto's path.**

**Should I move the story to the romance section so that more people take a look at it?**

**Now, I see a lot of people actually reads this story but leave no reviews, I am a first timer here so feedback is incredibly needed; so people take a little time and give me your impressions on the story so far and ANY piece of advice or criticism even if it seems silly is still welcomed.**

**For my reviewers I will try to reply to you all, so you know I do read your opinions!**

**Wait the next chapter within the next two days, three at most, work in the office increased and cant' work on my story at home.**

**Read and for the love of god Review!!!**


	7. Lessons of all kinds

**Chapter 6: Lessons of all kinds**

**Quick AN: I am so sorry for the confusion on the chapters!!! I didn't notice until today that a whole chapter was missing! "Stroll through the city" takes place before the events of "Ninja" so please read it, enjoy it and forgive me for such mistake. The chapter itself wasn't so important but had a description of the Senju and their home, and a bit of romance. I promise to be extra careful from now on, flame me all you want if you wish.**

The trail home was a long one as Sakura told the rest of the team to go ahead and report as she and Naruto brought back the bandits loot. Naruto had summoned a mid size toad to carry the stuff and walked behind them.

Naruto still shocked by the events of the last day walked silently in deep thought of his own mistakes and its consequences. He had mercy of an enemy that never asked for any; his mission parameters clearly stated the enemy to be wiped out, and he allowed enemies to survive, disabling wasn't enough and now he carried the guilt of what happened to Riku.

Naruto quickly reached the conclusion that he was a fool and in many ways lacking of any real ninja skills, if he wanted such tragedies from happening again he needed proper training and experience. The training he got so far gave him the tools to be a great ninja; but having the tools and knowing what to do with them were two different things.

"Sakura-chan was it hard for you to become a ninja?" asked Naruto while still looking pensive.

Sakura was clearly surprised by such question, but thinking back upon the several mistakes committed by Naruto in battle and the horrible outcome of it, deduced that Naruto was indeed amazingly strong but his isolation made him a rookie in many ways.

"Yes it was really hard and many times I doubted myself thinking of quitting and becoming a forest keeper or a maiden at the palace"

Naruto looked more troubled now; Sakura quickly grabbed his hand and squeezing it, continued.

"But when I met Tsunade she changed my views and gave me the inspiration and the will to make it"

"She told me of how her beloved Dan passed away and his wish to bring peace to his people through sacrifice; he gave everything for the clan and allowed for the armistice to become a reality"

"I chose to keep trying because I knew I could do great things, every one used to tell me of my talent and larger chakra reserves, they always told me I would make a great Ninja, but it wasn't until I learned from Dan's sacrifice that the real desire to become one ignited within me"

"I do the things that I do so that others who can't won't suffer"

"Those bandits would have continued to steal and in time perhaps kill and rape the travelers"

"We had the power and thus the duty to stop them; there is no shame or guilt in doing so"

"True, many missions turn out to be very unpleasant and depressing but when I see the laughing children and the splendor of my city, it just makes it worthwhile"

Stopping in front of Naruto and holding the sides of his head looked at him right in the eye as she spoke louder

"Naruto you have been blessed with great skills, abilities and power; but to really make them be of any worth, you must find out what you want to achieve with them"

Naruto was speechless and truly didn't know what to say; in all his life not once did he ever wanted something that didn't have already.

He has a huge family of toads waiting for him, his father even with all his failings cared enough about him and he knew it.

All his training only allowed him to play better with the toads, play pranks on them or annoy his father.

But having a goal, something to achieve with the means at hand; never crossed his mind, he was content and might as well had lived a long happy life at Myoboku.

But now, he tried using his skills for a rather simple mission; but the end result was a tragedy that could have been averted. He lost a friend, but someone just lost a daughter and the world lost a great person.

He didn't wanted that to happen again, he didn't knew exactly what he wanted yet, but he would find a way to stop such tragedies from happening again.

Looking more relieved he softly smiled to Sakura and said.

"Thanks Sakura-chan, for everything" "Right now I don't know exactly what I want to achieve, but I promise I will find something that will make everyone and Riku, proud of"

Sakura looked at his determination and felt he would be ok from now on. But she knew that the path ahead would be incredibly difficult and saying those words alone wasn't enough.

And so hand in hand they continued their march to "Green Keep"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Tsunade had been waiting at the city gates for nearly two hours since the rest of the tracking team arrived with the sad news of their casualty and their victory over the bandits.

Tsunade was genuinely worried by both Sakura, who never saw the real carnage of war and by Naruto whose first real mission turned into a nightmare. She wanted to bring comfort to both of them since in her eyes both were still very innocent.

That thought didn't last long as she saw them in the distance walking hand in hand with content smiles on their faces; apparently Sakura took her job in bringing solace to her "little brother" and she wouldn't have any of that.

Naruto was retelling one of his favorite stories from Myoboku to Sakura when a loud noise of an avalanche started to approach them; Sakura was too distracted to notice as she was lost in Naruto's eyes, when suddenly she was no longer holding Naruto's hand and only heard muffled screams from the blond.

Naruto was being smothered by Tsunade's bear hug as he tried to escape or at least breathe

"Oh my poor Naruto!, you saw something so awful and you are so young and innocent!"

"Don't worry I will help you forget"

Naruto placed his hands on her chest feeling something very soft and warm and as he squeezed he heard a small moan from Tsunade.

After this he was found unconscious with his toad trying to wake him up as a fuming Sakura was screaming to Tsunade who was sporting a content smile over her small victory.

All Naruto could mumble was "So soft…"

Once the trio was done with their little "encounter" by instructions from Yamato, Naruto had to present himself and Sakura before him and Nawaki for a more detailed debriefing of the mission.

There Sakura explained all the events from the tragic mission to detail. Yamato was particularly interested in Naruto's sudden change from a non killing fighter to a merciless and rather gruesome killer over a single casualty from an ally.

"So Naruto, I have to say I am terribly disappointed in your performance; not only did you fail to follow orders as instructed but as a consequence a comrade perished in action"

Naruto flinched over the memories and his own failures.

"But I guess I overestimated your skills and prowess, I have to say that your father would be terribly disappointed"

Naruto's head lifted at the mention of his father "You know my father!?" "From where?!" "Is he here!?"

"Now now don't be hasty, your father is a sage as well and has roamed the many lands of this world, long before you were born"

"I met him sometime around 10 years ago" "I was a regular ninja at the time and my wood element skill wasn't that good either"

"He helped me with some training and accompanied me in some missions" "Have to say I hardly believe you are his son"

"But I have seen your summon and your skill" "So in exchange for his help so many years ago and your clear lack of proper ninja training" "I will have you be trained in the basic elements of the ninja"

Yamato grinned as he spoke the last words "So report tomorrow at the academy at 8" "Sakura you will be in charge of supervising his education for the next 4 weeks"

Sakura was shocked; Naruto was going to be sent to the academy, along with all the kids that desired to become ninja. And she had to be her tutor as well. She tripped over, when Naruto screamed in excitement, clearly he didn't knew what Yamato had in store for him.

Tsunade was speechless, she had a new "small brother" and now he has going to school, it was like reliving Nawaki's childhood all over again, this couldn't get any better for her, well except teach him about the "nicer" things of the ninja arts, like seduction!.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Very well Naruto, before you attend school I have to know where your education stands"

"You do know how to write and read right?"

Naruto felt a bit offended, "Of course, father always had me copy his manuscripts" "he is a writer you know?" (You can guess what he wrote)

Sakura being the bookworm she was, immediately ordered Naruto to read everything Jiraiya wrote and memorize it, after all the knowledge of a sage is something many scholars would kill to learn. (Can't really blame her)

Naruto was a bit surprised for this; Ma-chan always took Jiraiya's books away from him saying he wasn't old enough for such themes. But then again Sakura was a great Ninja and he was willing to please her, even if it meant reading whatever his father wrote.

Sakura made sure he had everything he needed for his first day and told him to read at least one of Jiraiya's books by sunrise, time was of the essence and she wanted to help Naruto as much as she could.

Once Sakura left the small room Yamato assigned him in the palace, Naruto summoned his best pal Gamakichi "Yo Naruto, how are you doing partner?"

"Well I got a situation so I need you to go back to father and ask him to give you a copy of every book he has written" "I'll summon you back in half an hour"

"Seems you are having trouble with girls, fine I'll be back in a flash" Naruto wondered how Gamakichi knew a girl was involved but didn't minded it too much"

Gamakichi returned with a rather thick stack of books, wrapped in leather so the covers weren't visible, and gave Naruto a letter from Jiraiya as well

_Naruto_

_I knew you had it in you my boy, all you needed was a little push and now you are on my footsteps to become a great Sage and my successor. Here is my full collection of books, learn them to heart and in case you have doubts on certain words and actions, I placed a glossary on each one as well as pictures to guide you properly._

_By the way, I advice reading my first book "The story of the gutsy ninja" after the other books._

_Good hunting Naruto, and remember be nice to pretty women!!!_

_Jiraiya_

Naruto was thrilled he could learn his father's deepest secrets with this books; maybe he would become a great ninja in less time than he thought.

"I know!, I will surprise Sakura-chan by reading them all in one night!" "Shadow clone jutsu!!"

Ten Narutos grabbed each a book and started reading while continuously consulting the glossary

Indeed Sakura and pretty much every woman would be surprised the next day

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

As Sakura was walking to pick up Naruto for his first day at school she had the strange feeling that it was going to be a very interesting day, she was anxious to know what Naruto had learned from a sage's books, maybe he was smarter already or perhaps unlocked a new ability his father meant to help him in the future, the possibilities were endless (indeed)

Sakura was standing at his door but before she could knock Naruto opened to greet her. His appearance was the same as always but something seemed off. The look he was sending her way was different; it almost looked like desire or need.

Walking closer to her he lifted his hand and with it caressed Sakura's face and spoke in a low seductive tone "How fortunate I am that an angel comes to wake me up"

Sakura went a deep crimson color and stuttered "B-B-But you are already awake"

Naruto smiled dangerously "Well I wanted to see you so much that never went to sleep" "I wanted to see your face, hear your voice and touch you fully awake"

He then cupped her face with his hand and leaned closer

Sakura was paralyzed, normally such advances would have received a very painful denial, but he was different, he was acting like a totally different person.

When Naruto's face was so close she could feel his breath, she leaned in wanting more, but heard.

"So, how did I do it Sakura-chan?" "Are you impressed, I think I managed to grasp the ninja concepts my father wrote" said the normal Naruto

Sakura feeling somewhat disappointed broke out from her daze and started to acknowledge what just happened. Naruto just tried to seduce her, and pretty much succeeded to her own surprise.

"That your father wrote?" "It must be his information gathering procedures, romance is a very useful skill" "Not many males use it since it's a bit odd for them, but you seem to have grasped it quite well" said a more proud Sakura, apparently teaching hi the ninja skills wouldn't be too hard.

"So what else did you learn?" "I bet he had tons of useful skills to show"

"Well, according to his books, that is all he talks about" "He also talks about how to please women in many different and strange manners"

"W-W-What!?" "You mean the book you read last night, right?" asked a bright red Sakura

"No, I wanted to make you feel proud, so with several shadow clones I read all of them in one night!" "But the only thing they talked about was romance, and this thing he calls sex"

Sakura was without words, she couldn't believe what Naruto just said, so decided to investigate.

"Naruto, let me see those books please, maybe he sent you the wrong ones"

"Sure thing Sakura" He led her into the room and showed her all the books, at first glance they seemed like regular handwritten books in leather covers; but once she started reading her face and entire body started to get warmer.

She picked out another book, and another, and another trying to find something else than smut.

By the time she stopped browsing the books she was glowing in very unhealthy red color and started to feel weak, so she decided to slump on Naruto's bed to calm herself.

She thought "I can't believe a sage and Naruto's father was such a huge pervert" "But Naruto never did anything perverted" she went even redder remembering that morning in the hospital when he was trying to remove the IV and the next day when he was asleep hugging Shizune, "Well at least not consciously"

She closed her eyes to calm herself down but felt a hot breath on her face; she opened her eyes and met with the electric blue eyes of Naruto. She went red all over again and was paralyzed for such position with him. It was the first time a man was so intimately close to him and in the last few days had come to really care for him. She had seen him fight, laugh, and cry openly in front of her; he never hid anything from her and always smiled when he saw her

She felt that pang in her chest again from when she saw him for the first time in the forest.

Naruto rested his forehead against her; all she could think of was that he was going to kiss her and perhaps something else, he close her own eyes and lifted her mouth slowly. But Naruto broke the mood when he said.

"You don't seem to have a fever" "How weird, you are all red"

Sakura somewhat disappointed, moved Naruto from top of her, breathing a couple of times she calmed herself and explained.

"Naruto, these books aren't about any ninja skills in particular" "These are adult books that some perverts like to read from time to time"

"Perverts?" "What's a pervert?" "Father always calls himself a super pervert but never explained me what it meant"

Sakura somewhat embarrassed to explain this usually common knowledge stuff said "Well a pervert is someone who has no shame at all and is always trying to see or touch girls without their permission" "This is very insulting for us for they have zero respect for us and only want to please themselves"

Naruto taking in this info answered "But father always said he admired women and that a man's duty is to make them feel happy" "He said make them feel happy by giving them romance, pleasure and excitement"

Sakura was speechless once again, apparently Naruto was taught to make women happy once he gets to know them, but being taught by a man calling himself a super pervert couldn't be right in many aspects.

"Well it's true that those things do give us joy and happiness but there are certain rules and, and…"

"Sakura-chan, look at the hour I am running late for my first day at the academy!!!" "Let's go!!!"

Sakura would need to explain many things to him later…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The idea of a ninja academy was first introduced nearly 50 years ago by the living legend Hiruzen Sarutobi, current leader of the powerful Sarutobi clan, as method to help the many orphans that war among clans left behind. It was meant to teach the necessary skills to become a survivalist and then a ninja if said child showed promise.

The idea made wonders in the beginning, for the Sarutobi ranks bolstered to unprecedented numbers in a few years, and the many children who didn't made to ninja, learned enough skills to survive and brought immense wealth and prestige to the Sarutobi. On that time the Sarutobi had become amazingly strong and within a few years had tripled their current territory either by simple expansion or treaties of clans that were fearful of being crushed.

Once the secret of their new gained grandeur spread to other clans, they began to start their own academies with their own philosophies and skills, some were brutal, others subtle and others just mimicked the Sarutobi style.

In time the other clans became stronger, but once the balance seemed to be readjusting the wonderful idea of Hiruzen had just given himself and his enemies more soldiers, and so the following war left a greater destruction than ever before, making of this another failure of the now old Sarutobi legend.

Back at Senju,

"All right people, from the 60 kids that began at the academy 6 years ago only 20 stand today as possible prospects to become ninja"

"Today we will be reviewing the basic elements of what makes us ninja" "you are never too good as to go over the basics again, all of what you will be is built upon them so pay close attention!"

"Also as a request from Lord Regent, the Sage Naruto will be a spectator to our class" "Sages are, for those who can't remember, legendary ninja of great skill and power, to meet one in this life is considered of good luck so be grateful and show proper respect!"

…….

"Where is he!?" "Its fifteen minutes late!"

At that moment Naruto crashed through the door with a furious Sakura behind.

"Sorry I am late!" "I am Naruto the Sage from Myoboku, a pleasure to meet you all!" said Naruto smiling as he bowed before the class.

Every single girl melted before such smile and soon were having thoughts that no girl in her 14 years should have.

Before any of them managed to ask him something, the greatly feared Pink Monster (Sakura) came into the room and grabbed Naruto and brought her mouth close to his ear which made him feel a bit embarrassed (he now thinks he knows a lot how women behave after all the new info!)

"Listen Naruto, you are here only as an observer you are not meant to do anything but take notes on everything that is said here and if you have questions write them down and I will answer them after school understood"

Naruto a bit confused replied "But if the teacher is supposed to teach me why can't I ask him?"

"Because you are a Sage and you are supposed to already know this stuff, people look up to Sages as heroes merely by their status, you would become a joke in front of others"

"I will be more than glad to answer all your questions, but for now consider this a mission" "Only observe and do as I told you, ok?"

"Fine Sakura-chan" "By the way you smell nice" said a smiling Naruto while Sakura blushed again and whacked him lightly on his head.

Naruto proceeded to take a seat, took a note book and concentrated.

"Well as a recap, the most important law of ninja"

"Deception is the lifeblood of our trade"

"By deceiving our enemies and sometimes our own allies, great victories can be achieved with little to no violence at all" "A small false piece of info given to the enemy can spare dozens if not hundreds of lives" "A good bluff can persuade an enemy to hold back their attack" And a good costume can let you have a mountain of info"

"We usually fight in the shadows and in them anything can happen"

"Second, the Mission is the most important thing in the mind of a ninja, above friendship, above morals, above personal convictions" "We are tools and we are only useful as long as the mission gets done" "The successful accomplishment of a mission usually ensures the survival of our clan and further strengths it"

"Third, Teamwork!" "We may thread the shadows but we don't have to do it alone" "Your teammates will help you complete the mission and risk their lives along with yours" "Honor their sacrifices and when possible don't leave them behind, the more ninja comes back the better"

"Fourth, betrayal is instant death!" "Those who dare to betray their comrades are to be killed on site, even enemy ninja that may betray their comrades in your favor are never to be trusted and most times killed as well; this because if they betrayed those who trusted them once, they will betray you faster"

"Fifth, cowardice has no place among ninja" "Becoming a coward on the battlefield is almost the same as a betrayal; fear indeed is part of our human condition but discipline and duty must be stronger" "To become scared in combat is to leave your teammates at risk, blow your cover and fail the mission" "All in all a coward is a traitor that has to live with his guilt and shame"

Naruto was mesmerized by such words, Jiraiya never spoke of them or at least didn't mention them often, and he was busier teaching him the sage arts. Now Naruto could see all his failings clearly and in what things he had failed Sakura-chan, his teammates and Riku.

**Deception** – He had told the rogue ninja that his camp was surrounded, probably alerting the surviving bandits of more enemies than Sakura and himself.

**Mission** – The mission stated the bandits to be killed and leave no survivors, the idea was awful for him but then again, by not killing them allowed Riku's murderer to get a chance.

**Teamwork** – In this point things were a bit blurred, he and Sakura neutralized the bandits with small effort but never got together to fight side by side, Riku broke formation without orders and that got her killed, he had failed in ensuring all targets were down and haven't noticed Riku's position earlier, they had a plan but were completely uncoordinated.

**Betrayal** – He had betrayed his teammates in a sense by not completing the mission goals properly, sometimes treason comes from inaction or incompetence.

**Cowardice** – By not wanting to kill, a mission that was supposed to be simple turned into a disaster that could have claimed more lives than it did.

Naruto kept listening to the rest of the lessons given to the future ninja with his undivided attention and promised himself and in Riku's name that he would become a great ninja and find something worth to do in life.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

For the past 4 weeks Naruto attended the academy for the final lessons in the life of a ninja, refining the required skills all ninja needed to survive in battle.

He had committed himself to always remember the five laws of all ninja in Riku's name whose memory still haunted him from time to time; never again would he allow a friend to die needlessly.

As for his practical skills, he trained with Sakura to develop his teamwork skills; this exercise allowed him to know the many differences that can exist between ninja.

Sakura is an all around close quarters fighter, she has extremely well developed reflexes and her fighting style left very few openings, as she delivered her extremely powerful blows; Naruto noticed that her only weakness would be a large group of enemies with a combination of mid to long range weapons, which forced her from going to the offensive into defense with no chance of making a counterattack effectively nullifying her as a threat, her high speed straight movements made her unable to change directions easily in midair.

Sakura also had a small selection of battle jutsus, some mid level genjutsus and a small variety of water jutsus, her strength was the medical jutsus and her variations to either heal or inflict more pain, and one of her most dangerous skills was her surgical chakra knife that could make internal cuts on the enemy by barely touching them.

Naruto noticed himself to be a mid to close ranged fighter, his accuracy with kunai was very decent in mid range and he was a force to be reckoned in hand to hand thanks to his unusual frog style.

His speed was close to Sakura's during her advances, but he had the advantage of Shadow clones to change directions quickly or send them forward instead.

He wasn't using the sage mode since Jiraiya had told him to only use it against really strong opponents or in very dire situations, since the mode was incredibly tiring, and though Naruto's larger chakra reserves allowed him to last long periods of time in such mode, the more he spent in that mode the greater was the exhaustion afterwards.

Naruto trained to be the beast ninja possible without having to rely on his sage mode.

During this time Tsunade also helped in their training; being the veteran and genius she was, she made sure that both knew how dangerous the battlefield could be. She had Naruto and Sakura face her in combat, and though she was outnumbered, proved to be an overwhelming foe with great tricks under her sleeve. Her strength was at least twice Sakura's and though her speed wasn't so great she compensated with experience that allowed to ignore many of the low risk attacks sent her way and instead block and counter attack the better efforts of those two.

In the end she always won but had to recognize that those two, at such young age, held a far greater potential than her own, all they needed was to be tempered in the fires of real combat.

"That was a great training Sakura-chan!" "You seem to be getting stronger than before"

"You think so?" "In my opinion it's you who had gotten way stronger than before" said a sweating and panting Sakura.

Naruto had taken off his coat to relax and rest for a bit as night started to fall upon them. With the last sunbeams Naruto turned to look at Sakura who was lying next to him resting and wearing only her top, having removed her small jacket.

At this sight Naruto felt suddenly very hot and unable to remove his eyes from her figure as she breathed slowly with her eyes closed as the sweat made her shine with the sun and her scent filled the air around Naruto who seemed to get even hotter by this.

Naruto went very silent and slowly made his way to be next to her, taking as much as he could of her figure; he reached and placed himself above her while not knowing what to do exactly.

Sakura opened her eyes feeling something covering the sun, and was surprised when she saw Naruto's blue eyes; they seemed to be in a daze while watching her.

"What are you doing Naruto?" Sakura spoke getting red because of his close proximity.

Naruto watching her straight to the eye spoke almost like a desperate child.

"You look so nice right now…" "You smell nice too…" "You look so soft…"

At this he touched her face softly which made Sakura tremble with a new feeling she couldn't place. Getting aroused by his touch, Sakura reached with her own hand to caress Naruto's face as well, tracing his whisker marks; at this Naruto let out an small purr that made her smile.

Naruto feeling so good lowered himself softly on Sakura and buried his face on the nook of her neck rubbing his whiskers in the process. Sakura placed one hand on his back and felt his strong muscles while the other slowly strokes his hair.

Naruto continued pressing his body against hers wanting more, and though he had his father's books in his head, he wasn't sure on what to do now.

Sakura on her side did know what she wanted, and gently placing he hands on Naruto's head lifted it to be at her level. Speaking in a tone that surprised them both said.

"Close your eyes Naruto"

Naruto did as instructed and remained motionless until he felt something very soft pressing against his lips; he opened his eyes to see Sakura kissing him tenderly.

Naruto read about this in his father's books but never imagined it felt so good; he started to clumsily return the kiss but as time went it became more natural and pleasant.

Naruto's kisses became longer and more aggressive, his hands started to roam on Sakura's body wanting more from her. Something in him compelled to want more from her.

"**MORE" "MOREE" "MOREEEE!!!!"**

At this Naruto opened his eyes watching a very flustered and excited Sakura under him.

Naruto was about o continue his "assault" when 2 Senju ninja landed next to him and Sakura while sporting a look of surprise, someone tamed Sakura!

"Lord Naruto, lady Sakura" "The Lord regent demands your presence at the palace for dinner" "Please finish you business quickly and head over immediately" At this they both disappeared.

Without speaking both got more properly dressed and started their way to the palace in silence with small smiles on their faces…

**AN: Done with this chapter! Hope you like it**

**Finally some romance but it seems the Fox wants some love to!**

**For those who wondered how Naruto would deal with the consequences of his mistakes, well I thought learning from them was the most natural thing to do, and education is a way to improve in many ways. Still actual experience is the best way to go for Naruto, so don't expect him to be perfect in the next mission.**

**On next chapter we jump back to the action.**

**Once again I apologize for the confusion on the chapters; "Stroll through the city" goes before "Ninja" read it if you haven't it contains descriptions of the Senju and their city as well.**

**Read and Review!!!**


	8. Back to the trenches

**Chapter 7: Back to the t****renches**

**Quick AN: First chapter with a Lemon, which is a first for me! So you are warned!**

**Read AN at the end, very important for those following the story!**

Naruto and Sakura entered the palace while still feeling embarrassed about their recent make out session. It was a first for both of them, and really wanted to go at it again but feeling so embarrassed didn't dare to ask or even look in the others direction.

As they reached the Ancestors Hall where Nawaki and Yamato were waiting; both men raised an eyebrow upon seeing them so red-faced and acting all shy with each other. Suspecting what happened, Yamato decided to tease them a little before moving to important matters.

"I am so glad you managed to come, and I am specially sorry for interrupting your "training", he he"

Naruto and Sakura got all crimson again and Nawaki had to place his hands over his mouth to avoid bursting in laughter; Yamato scolded him for his behavior and returned his gaze upon his guests.

"Four weeks have gone by since your ninja training started" "And according to Sakura and Tsunade's reports you have improved by leaps and bounds"

Naruto's face beamed with pride as he was being acknowledged, Sakura smiled seeing him so happy.

"But I have to be conscious that theory has its limits upon how much it prepares a ninja" "So I decided to give you a second chance with a new mission"

Yamato readjusted himself on his chair and with a serious look started

"Among the many things you brought back from the bandits loot, we recovered a sealed letter addressed to the rogue ninja you eliminated; said letter apparently connects him to a much larger criminal/rebellious organization that we suspect may be the Momochi Raiders"

"The Momochi Raiders are a band of criminals formed by Zabuza Momochi, an extremely dangerous criminal who led his clan to destruction in the Land of Water by hailing war after war against its neighboring clans seeking control of the entire land"

"When he was finally defeated, the rest of his clan abandoned him and joined the other clans to survive"

"Zabuza wouldn't just give up, and rallying his still loyal followers left the Land of Water and became the leader of a rather large band of disgraced ninja, mercenaries and other criminals, to raise funds and eventually invade the Land of Water, which is still divided in inner fighting"

"Zabuza's organization intended to support the rogue ninja in exchange for information and guidance over the routes of the forest for his smuggling operations"

Naruto took all the info without interrupting Yamato, but felt his anger to start rising as he suspected that this Zabuza guy was probably the one who gave equipment and money to the rogue ninja to start his campaign of crimes against Senju.

Naruto questioned "Is our mission to find and eliminate Zabuza?"

"I appreciate your eagerness but I am afraid that no one knows where Zabuza is at the moment"

"This time it will be an intelligence gathering mission" "We need to know how much Zabuza's organization has penetrated the Land of Fire and specifically our lands"

"With this information we may expel them from our lands" "As far as eliminating the organization its near impossible given its size and presence in different lands, not to mention that their top ranking members always remain concealed and in constant movement"

"Your mission is that you two travel to the town port of Taki at the most north-eastern reaches of the Land of Fire and just a few miles away from our controlled territory; and infiltrate it going unnoticed"

"We discovered recently that a business man called Hubei is currently at that town; our information network suspects him to be a liaison between the Momochi Raiders main unit and their branch on the Land of Fire"

"Gather as much information of the Momochi Raiders operations in the Land of Fire as you can and escape the place unnoticed; the time limit for the operation will be of 2 weeks"

Sakura raised her hand and asked "Are we to expect enemy ninja at the place?"

"No activity of Ninja is reported, only thugs and small time criminals, in case you do encounter with Ninja proceed with caution and avoid combat unless you are discovered"

"If they suspect someone is trying to spy on them, they might flee the area and relocate, wasting months of work"

Naruto trying his new knowledge asked, "What intelligence do we have on the town itself?"

"Good question, the town has seen an increased vigor in its operations since the battles in the Land of Water lessened and trade was reactivated; the place grew quickly but attracted the wrong crowd. It's filled with Casinos, Cabarets, Whore houses, underground fighting rings and many other decaying activities"

"I advice you go as tourists in search of some excitement"

Naruto questioned again "Do we have any info on where does this Hubei is staying or spends most of his time?"

"Wow Naruto, seems like the lessons really helped out; Yes there is a place, the Sea Dragon's Den, it's a large Casino-Hotel near the town's center, intelligence indicate that it might be the Momochi Raiders base of operations at the town"

"Since this is a very important mission that concerns not only our clan but all the people in the Land of Fire, you will have a third party member that will encounter you at the exit of the forest and help you infiltrate the town"

"This member will also give support in case you need it"

With this Naruto and Sakura went to prepare and rest for their new mission.

Naruto couldn't believe his luck; he made out with Sakura and was given a chance to redeem himself before the Senju. He wouldn't blow it this time.

Smiling he cleaned the questions he wrote on his hand (whatever works for you…) and fell asleep.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto and Sakura departed Green Keep with sunrise and had been travelling nonstop for almost 4 hours; Sakura explained that their target was a full day of ninja speed travelling and that their companion would be at a secret staging ground of the Senju near the border.

As they were travelling he noticed that Sakura's speed started to decrease and was showing signs of exhaustion.

"Sakura-chan let's stop here for the moment to take a rest and maybe eat something"

Sakura knowing she was caught on her intent to keep up Naruto's pace, sighed

"Fine but only for a few minutes, we don't know how long it will take us to gather the info so we need to get there as soon as possible"

Naruto smiled and went to a small clearing, Sakura followed him and both sat down.

Naruto took out from his pack a couple of boxed lunches that his fan girls gave him at the academy; it made Sakura to boil with anger but her stomach made hunger a priority with a very un lady like growl.

She felt very embarrassed but Naruto just smiled and gave her one of the lunches. They both ate enjoying their little lunch date at the forest.

Once they finished Naruto seemed unsatisfied, so Sakura took out her own "special survival kit"

"Here take one of this and you will be completely recharged with energy"

"What is this ball?" asked a curious Naruto

"They are my special "Sakura Soldier Pills" the most nutritious (piece of shit) thing you will ever taste; they are meant to give up to 5 times the amount of energy a regular soldier pill gives"

"What are Soldier pills?"

"They are special supplements given to warriors out on the field to restore their chakra and give them renewed energies" "You can consume one at a time but never overuse them since they can create unbalances in your body" "They are only for emergencies or long term travels like this"

"Wow thanks Sakura-chan it seems tasty" munch!...........................munch, munch, gulp

"Wow it taste great I already feel recharged!" said a very pale looking Naruto

Sakura was proud of herself, usually no one ever wanted to taste anything she made.

"Let's go Sakura-chan!"

Naruto jumped ahead to try and hide his tears, that thing indeed renewed his strength but felt like if he just tasted death itself.

Sakura smiling decided to try one herself, munch…………………………bleh!

"I can't believe he actually ate it full, I have to get a way to at least make it tasteless"

Finally after some hours running they finally reached the marked location but couldn't find either their third companion or any sight of the staging ground.

"Are we on the right place Sakura-chan?"

"According to the map, we are but there is no sight of anything here"

"Hic-up….Hic-up" "Is that you Narutooo?" Said Tsunade as she fell from the tree above them, amazingly she twisted and landed perfectly, only to trip laughing on top of Naruto.

"I misssseed you Naruto!!" Said Tsunade as she was hugging him fiercely.

"Heh, me too Tsunade-hime!" said Naruto while remembering from Jiraiya's books that women liked such honorifics.

Sakura annoyed by Tsunade's state and Naruto's new honorific for her sensei grabbed Tsunade and helped her stand.

Naruto noticed that the staging ground was concealed at the top of the tree from which Tsunade fell. Both Naruto and Sakura carried Tsunade to the top and helped her regain some composure.

Once Tsunade was somewhat more sober, she stated to be their third companion since she was more experienced in places like Taki and that she had come with a fantastic plan to intrude into the Sea Dragon's Den.

Her plan was to make Naruto look like a rich kid looking for fun by gambling away his inheritance, while Tsunade and Sakura would pretend to be his faithful slaves.

This way Naruto would go by unperceived as nothing but a loaded playboy brat, not as a threat; the plan made sense in the manner that probably the whole town had Momochi Raiders employees crawling around and a constant façade would be needed.

When Tsunade had finished explained how their operation would go, Naruto was nodding as he considered the great plan and thought that it would be an excellent opportunity to test his deceptive skills. Sakura on her side was red as a tomato, not because she considered the plan to be bad, but because of hers and Naruto's role in all this.

Tsunade had slightly trained Sakura in such arts but she never had any actual experience on them and since she never had the need to use them became very nervous.

Tsunade noticing Sakura's struggle took her to another room.

"Sakura I know you have zero experience in this kind of missions, but we have no other choice this time"

"Do as I do and just relax and have fun" sigh "I know you have feelings for Naruto and according to Nawaki you two already had some sort of action"

Sakura went very red at this and tried to hide her face with a pillow.

"For this kind of missions you have to let go some of you inhibitions and have fun around the boy you love" "That way you will look a lot more natural"

"But you also care about Naruto, don't you Tsunade sensei?"

"I care about him because he is so innocent and sweet, but my man passed away a long time ago and I will never love like that again"

"I am still around for Nawaki, my people, you and to have all the fun that I can before someone bests me out there"

"So let's go and have some fun, it will be interesting how Naruto acts in such situations, don't you think!?" Tsunade winked at Sakura after this.

"You are right Tsunade sensei; let's have a blast for a change!"

Both women stood up and went where Naruto was seated reading one of his father's infamous books. Sakura got really mad at this but before she could hit him Naruto explained that the main character in that book was in a similar position as he; the main character had to act as a playboy in order to get close to his stolen girlfriend, who was kidnapped by a greedy merchant.

Sakura requested to also read the book to see if there was any good advice for her in it, but crashed the book against Naruto's face when she saw that the main character actually had slept with every girl in the Casino to get them on his side and help him, only to have the main character marry every single girl in the casino and establishing a successful business at the place.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Having exchanged for regular money and clothes some of Naruto's golden Myoboku coins, and rented a rather luxurious carriage; Naruto and the girls were on their way to Taki, as they traveled they all got their stories and identities straight to avoid any confusion or possibly risk getting caught.

Naruto was Ryuji, the son of a recently deceased rich land lord in the Land of Lightning, he had sold his father's lands and with the money he had started to go from city to city having the good life and involving himself in shady businesses. After a year of travelling he bought his two current companions Celia and Lede (FF Tactics, I know), since slavery was allowed generally in the Land of Lightning. Both his companions seemed to don´t mind since he gave them a good life, luxurious items, and apparently kept them very "satisfied".

Naruto's character had to be smooth and aggressive but a coward in the face of real danger, which is why he had bought Celia (Sakura) and Lede (Tsunade), both were indeed slaves but before that used to be wandering assassins since childhood.

Sakura and Tsunade´s characters required them to be very seductive women, and constantly flirting with their beloved "Master" and show no simple interest in other men. As Ryuji's bodyguards at least one of them was with him at all times.

Celia sported a tight red mini dress that hugged her figure in the right places and still left enough space to move freely, Red stylish sandal boots with Sakura petals engraved on them, red lipstick, a nice make up that made her look older and very grown up, her hair was let loose from her twin long braids into a single very long ponytail and her front hair had been stylized to look more feral; Sakura had been very surprised when Tsunade finished "transforming" her, she never thought she could look so womanly and sexy.

Tsunade on her side had a deep purple two piece attire, a top that hugged her chest just right and exposed an ample cleavage, and a mini skirt of the same color with a gap that allowed for better movement, two high heeled black sandals with golden laces. She had her hair loose from her twin pigtails and had it combed in a light curly style while applying makeup, in the end she looked much younger and very different from her usual self.

Both of them were sporting black chokers with Ryuji's name on them, as symbol of their accepted submission.

Naruto had a small nosebleed at the sight when they walked out from the clothes store, his desire for them made him feel like the time when he made out with Sakura, but managed to keep himself under control, the mission was first.

Naruto on his side, by the women's order, had bought a black long coat with a small golden dragon going from one arm to his back, long but flexible black slacks, with a couple of black very fashionable normal boots, a clean white shirt and a golden necklace with the kanji for Dragon (Ryu I think). Tsunade had his messy blond hair combed to look more fitting of someone with money and his ponytail tied with a new black lace with a golden lock.

The carriage was nearing the city by nightfall, they would have to settle at the same casino as Hubei so they needed to get there early to prepare and inspect their room in case of any spying devices.

Naruto decided to try his character and so in a very cocky but authoritarian voice screamed at the driver

"Hey you dumbass! If you wish to get any tip from me you better hurry to the Sea Dragon's Den, my girls are growing restless!"

Naruto felt like crap for being so rude to the old driver but he needed to practice.

Sakura and Tsunade also decided to start practicing so they seated on both sides of Naruto and leaning on him started to trace his whisker marks, they giggled when he just melted on their hands and started purring.

As they were arriving to the city one could notice that indeed trade can do wonders for a town; according to Tsunade the city used to be about a third of what it was now. But wealth also attracts the wrong kind of crowds, and since the city wasn't under a ninja clan authority the local authorities could be easily bribed or intimidated.

Through the windows from their carriage they could see a large variety of small casino's, bars, strip clubs, whore houses, and stores of different imports arriving from Lightning and Water. One could also see several wealthy looking people striding through the city like they owned the place followed by swordsmen and several servants that may be slaves.

Having arrived to the casino right before nightfall, Naruto descended from the carriage and helped both beauties to get down, still in character he threw a thick stack of bills to the driver who was offended but very pleased with such generous tip.

Both women got to his sides while a boy picked up their luggage, Naruto having studied his book's character grabbed them by their hips just above their asses; they were a bit surprised by this but played along and just placed their most seductive faces as he leaded them into the casino.

Once inside they could notice that the building was probably among the largest ones in the city not to mention one of the most luxurious ones in the entire region.

All of the staff was female and clad in very "distracting" uniforms that made them resemble like a combination of a woman and a dragon in a very kinky way.

The security staff on the other side, were quite intimidating, sporting black suits and sunglasses, and at their side trusty samurai swords.

Indeed samurai were a common sight at the smaller independent lands surrounding the great elemental lands; these small lands were often secluded and depended on large numbers of soldiers to keep a decent defense against the ninja from the bigger lands, usually their people were very poor and almost slave driven by their local lords. When the first ninja clans started to settle in the elemental lands, they were tried to be forced into submission by the local lords, but the ninja wouldn't have any of that so they simply assassinated them and destroyed their authority over the elemental lands.

Naruto and "his" girls arrived at the reception where a red headed attendant smiling greeted them and asked if they had reservations.

Naruto appraising her fully and making the young girl feel embarrassed of being looked in that manner by such a handsome man, said.

"No beautiful, but I am confident that there won't be any trouble to find a suite, right?"

The blushing red head stuttered a little but replied

"Sorry sir but we have all rooms reserved until next month, and you should have sent a messenger to make reservations…sorry"

"It's truly a shame…and here I was thinking of gambling a ton of money and give large tips to gorgeous girl like you" he said this while waving a thousand Ryo (is this the right currency?) bill in front of her

The girl blushing for the compliment and very interested is such tips replied "Excuse me sir let me consult with my manager" the girl hurried over to the back and returned quickly.

"Sir my manager says that it's ok to give you one of our suites but it would be a very expensive one that a trader from lightning had already reserved, he says that if you want to risk yourself then take the room"

"No problem beautiful, today I feel like the world is mine!" saying this he slid the bill into the girl's cleavage and winked at her while graving the keys to the room and signal a boy to carry his luggage all the way to the room.

Once in the room Naruto jumped in front of the girls and bowing deeply he apologized for his rude behavior and all the inappropriate things he did to them and others out there.

Both girls blinking in confusion burst into laughter as Tsunade replied

"Hah hah, you don't have to apologize for anything it's a mission! Actually I am quite impressed with your performance it's brilliant, no one would think you are something else than a cocky playboy"

"Yeah, actually I was worried that you wouldn't be able de deceive anyone, of course given your honest and loud behavior" said a more relaxed Sakura.

"Wow that's a relief" "But believe this I would never lie to any of you, both were the first persons to treat me nicely ever since I came out from Myoboku and I will never forget that!"

This made both of them to smile and remind them how much like a child he was sometimes.

Turning around they saw the room which was a large suite with a small living room at the front, from this point forward they remained silent and started to search for listening devices or seals that might be used to spy on them. The room turned out to be clean but that didn't mean they could lower their guard, if Intel was right then this was literally a Dragon's Den.

Once they unpacked, they gathered to decide on the strategy to follow; the first objective was to clearly identify Hubei and assess if indeed he was involved with the Momochi Raiders and if he did, determine how deep he was involved with them.

If the first step proved Hubei to be a Raider, then they had to decide if he has any sort of useful info or just proceed to leave the town.

Given the case that he was indeed a deeply involved Raider, and then they would proceed to gather information upon how many businesses did the Raiders had in the Fire Land and how far was their reach.

The strategy to get close would be the most tricky part, if Hubei was indeed a Raider the chances of him being quite paranoid and violent were high since the Raiders, like many criminal organizations, were intolerant to failure which in turn also presented an opportunity, his standing in the Raiders would improve if he brought greater funds and helped the Raiders to speed up its operations in the Land of Fire.

This is where Ryuji's role would be fundamental; he gave the appearance of being loaded with lots of cash and poor judgment thus making him an easy target to scam or introduce him to more than he bargained for.

Also if his first introduction failed to leave a real impact he would have to suggest the possibility of being an investor in a lucrative business that wouldn't require too many questions or involvement for him, gold in the ears for someone like Hubei.

Celia and Lede's job would be to provide protection for Ryuji and distract any unwanted looks on him. They would also keep their eyes and ears open, since as slutty slaves the other patrons of the casino wouldn't mind to let their tongues slip easily in front of them.

Having decided the procedure for the mission the first order of the day would be to get acquainted with the casino and its surrounding area, as well as become a known face around town just in case anyone asked. That wouldn't be too hard given Naruto's companions and his role as a big spender.

They descended to the lobby area and the first thing they (Tsunade) decided was to get a blast at the games, they had to spend their time until Hubei revealed himself.

To everyone's surprise Naruto turned out to be a very lucky player having his money tripled by the time they decided to go rest, Sakura also made a bit more than she had entered with while Tsunade had to ask borrowed from Naruto to pay of her gambling debt (yeah she is that bad!)

Tsunade suspected that Naruto's luck was more his good looks than his actual skill since the girls that attended the games were more concentrated on him than in the games.

The first night had went without any sign of Hubei in the Casino, they would have to take a look around town tomorrow; they also concluded that Hubei would be the most guarded person in town or even guarded by a Ninja which would complicate things to a new level.

By the time they finally returned to their room and had it re-inspected, Naruto and Sakura became red when they noticed that there was only one king size bed in the room, Tsunade was already taking off her dress when noticed both kids with nervous looks on their faces.

"Well what did you expected of a Casino attended by a bunch of girls and pervs crawling around?"

"They don't expect any man to spend their nights alone in this place"

"So stop being nervous, remember Sakura WE are Naruto's SLAVES for the mission and so it's logical we sleep with him all nights"

"And Naruto the bed is large enough for all of us so don't think of sleeping on the couch" "If someone enters the room it would look strange that the master is in the couch and the slaves in the bed"

"This is a mission so nothing will happen as long as you remember that"

Naruto and Sakura looked relieved over her encouraging words

"That of course, unless you want something to happen" said Tsunade while winking and removing her dress.

Sakura went red and Naruto had a small nosebleed while he fainted.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The next morning Naruto woke up in the middle of the bed feeling extremely warm almost sweating. He found that Sakura was snuggling to him and Tsunade was resting her head on his left arm.

He looked a bit nervous over such position since they went to sleep in a very different manner; he glanced a bit down to see if he could escape their grip, but that proved to be a bad idea since all he could get was a rather nice view of both girls cleavages on their night gowns.

Once again he started to feel that hot and dizzy sensation from when he made out with Sakura, he wanted to touch them and this time kiss them all he could, he thought first he only wanted to do that with Sakura but Tsunade was just as tempting and given she was closer to his face unknowingly started to get close to her face. At this moment he noticed something wrong with him he felt terribly hot "down there"; upon inspection he noticed his "friend" was hard and standing at this new reaction he screamed (I know its morning wood but let's say he never had one).

Both girls jumped out from the bed and got ready to pummel anyone who dared to intrude their room; they looked around but nothing was amiss except for Naruto who was curled and covering himself with the bed sheets.

"What's wrong Naruto?" "Did you have a nightmare?" asked a concerned Sakura.

"Nothing is wrong Sakura-chan just give me a moment…"

Tsunade noticing how he was positioned and the red face he sported deduced what happened, indeed he was so cute sometimes.

"Well Naruto since you got us up the only fair thing to do would be for you to call for breakfast while we bathe" said a smirking Tsunade

"Ah, ah, ok just give me a sec"

"This is a mission so we don't have time for delays!" and grabbing the sheet, she pulled with mighty strength throwing Naruto out form the bed and to the floor where he landed flat on his back.

Tsunade was about to start teasing him but she was silenced by what stood in front of her and Sakura; even she was quite embarrassed over the sight of his rather large "staff" while Sakura was red and stuttering.

Naruto covered himself and apologized over and over. The girls calmed him down and decided to give him a crash course of body functions and sex. Naruto was very embarrassed of all that and thought that maybe the reason of why he couldn't control himself was because he never learned how to control his instincts over women when he was younger (How wrong you are my friend!)

Once dressed and having breakfast, they headed out into town to explore and find clues of Hubei or the Momochi Raiders. Naruto secretly created a small amount of shadow clones to henge themselves like some of the many beggars walking around the city, as he paraded himself with the girls over the places that rich people visited in town while spending large amounts of money in the process to further reinforce his façade. The girls showed their prowess when a group of thugs attempted to rob them but in the end in a very sadistic display all ended up with at least one broken arm and several bruises.

By nightfall, Naruto's clones couldn't find any clues regarding Hubei or the Raiders, the only thing they could find was a name that repeated itself several times among thieves and the like "Fuijin", he considered it a clue but apparently no one knew anything beyond the name.

Having spent almost an entire week at Taki and after winning a large amount of money at the Casino they were still unable to locate Hubei or even know if the man was even near Taki, apparently their original strategy of showing a lot of money in a very irresponsible way wasn't working, so they decided to spend the night at the restaurant and loudly brag about any known dirty schemes Ryuji claimed had pulled off in front of ninja authorities over Lightning, probably this would hook up anyone interested in doing the same at the Land of Fire.

This time right before they returned to their room after another unfruitful night, one of the most beautiful attendants at the casino gave Ryuji an envelope with the word "Fuijin". Once inside and having finished checking the room they opened the letter.

_Dear Mr. Ryuji,_

_You are hereby invited on board the exclusive "Casino-Boat Fuijin" just a few miles off shore Taki for an exclusive meeting of the rich and powerful of the land._

_We hope to count with your assistance and that of any companion you choose to bring._

_Your luggage will be brought to the boat by the Sea Dragon Den's attendants_

_Wait for the transport tomorrow at midnight on dock 3._

_Yours,_

_Kita Hubei_

Upon reading the letter they knew that Hubei had been watching them for quite some time and only decided to come in contact with them when Ryuji started to brag of his schemes and dirty businesses; apparently Hubei wanted to see if Ryuji would actually have the guts to challenge Ninja authorities for some profit.

This proved to Naruto that even ninja Intel can be inaccurate or incomplete at times, so being prepared for anything was another rule of the ninja.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Dock 3, mid night,

As expected a rather simple small row boat with an old pilot came to pick them up, they knew that they may as well be entering a trap and one crawling with enemy ninja, so their characters had to be as best performed than ever.

Naruto had a look of expectation and certain degree of fear, he managed this look by imagining if he were to peep on Tsunade and Sakura during their baths.

Sakura and Tsunade as Naruto's bodyguards were tense and expecting any ambush but were looking like they barely knew how to look for enemy ninja.

As the boat moved off shore the sound of music started to become louder and louder until they were near a large reef on the far end of the shore. Naruto truthfully feared they would crash so he hugged Sakura as hard as he could. When they finally got to the rocks they vanished, indicating the presence of at least one enemy ninja with genjutsu skills.

The Fuijin was a large Galleon with what seemed to be a never ending party onboard, the attendants here were far more attractive than the ones on the casino and the people seemed not only wealthier but far more dangerous and smart, this was the real mission.

Naruto had kept his eyes closed for the rest of the journey fearing for more genjutsus; finally a platform was lowered from the Fuijin to pick them up, Naruto had regained his composure and was once again sporting his playboy look grabbed his girls and went to be received by Hubei in person.

Kita Hubei was nothing like the team expected, instead of the violent little man they thought Hubei was, instead a stunning tall woman in her mid 30's like Tsunade, with long straight black raven hair, onyx eyes that almost shined with fire but remained passive, her skin was snow white without any marks or scars, her lips painted in red lipstick were inviting and her body was perfectly balanced in chest, legs and waist.

Kita advanced to the small group with great confidence in her long Chinese style black dress with golden flames pattern all over, and extended her hand to Ryuji in a graceful manner as if asking him to kiss it and hold it.

Ryuji remembering the proper manners learned in his book took her hand and lightly gave it a soft kiss that made Sakura and Tsunade jealous.

"Careful Lord Ryuji your lady friends might get upset over such expressions"

Naruto gave her a dangerous smile and replied "Don't worry I know how to compensate them for such transgressions" at this Sakura and Tsunade blushed a little out of acting and trying to imagine how he would compensate them later.

"Seems that they do know how mmm? So shall we?" "The games are about to begin and I am told you are quite the player" with this she locked her arm with his and walked towards the casino area of the boat.

Once on the casino, Ryuji once again demonstrated his (lucky) gambling abilities by doubling the money he carried (making quite a fortune heh?) all the while with a very interested Kita by his side who earned constant glares from Tsunade and Sakura. They allowed the woman to be close to him just in case she slipped some clue towards accomplishing their mission, and to avoid suspicion from whoever the ninja on board was.

By dinner the entire audience was entertained with a very sensual dancing from the local attendants that made Naruto very uncomfortable with constant chills in his back every time one of the dancers came to him; credit goes to the warning glares of his companions.

By the end of the show Kita announced that the main event and the fabulous business opportunity she represented would be explained at lunch the next day and that for the time being they were free to enjoy the ship or retire for the night.

The trio determined that probably the main event would offer these millionaires a chance to profit from the raiders activities and so be asked to invest on them to further increase them. Still their mission wouldn't be accomplished since they needed info on how deep the Raiders were infiltrated in the Land of Fire already.

Knowing that they were constantly watched by someone onboard; trying to sneak would be a bad idea, in any case it would require a distraction to allow someone of the team to split and search for clues or perhaps infiltrate Kita's quarters. The choice was Naruto since he was the one who even though might be watched wouldn't be stopped if he wanted to explore the ship, meanwhile Tsunade and Sakura would remain on the casino floor and get most of the people into a makeshift party that would require the presence of more security personnel.

As Naruto made his way through the different levels of the boat, he felt as if someone was following or watching him; still he remained indifferent since he couldn't show any kind of skill to his stalker.

Naruto finally arrived to the farthest room on the ship, by its sheer dimension one could tell it was the master bedroom on the ship and thus the most likely to be Kita's room; He entered slowly a bit surprised the door was unlocked. The room was indeed quite large with a desk near the entrance and a large expensive looking bedroom on the farther reach.

Naruto was slowly roaming the place and scanning it for any concealed devices or compartments that may serve to hide important documents or scrolls. He was finally about to open the desk drawers when the door clicked close, he rose and his sight met with the presence of Kita herself.

"Lord Ryuji, seems like you are lost" "Or perhaps you are looking for something?" asked Kita in a low seductive voice.

Naruto knowing he was on thin ice here had to think quickly, she would never believe he was lost and wouldn't be able to explain whatever he might be looking for in her room; luckily he remembered Jiraiya's book and replied with an equal tone of voice.

"Yeah I am looking for something I lost a little while ago" while eyeing her looking for any trap or weapon.

"And may I know what did you lose?" asked Kita while closing the distance with Naruto.

"I lost you dear, you never told me goodnight after dinner" said Naruto as he raised his hand to caress Kita's arm and looking at her directly to the eye "So are you going to give me the goodnight?"

"Mmm, certainly Lord Ryuji" Kita closed in even more and leaning to whisper in his ear "Goodnight Ryuji, and please be certain to pick up your companions at the casino, they got a bit tipsy and started a small ruckus"

Naruto shivered in pleasure but then regained his composure upon hearing the news on Sakura and Tsunade.

"Ah hell seems like my girls caused you trouble, please don't hesitate to ask me anything in return for the inconvenience" he said winking and exiting quickly towards the casino.

"I will Ryuji, I will"

The casino's sight was more like that from a bar fight, the black jack table was splitted by half and the love test machine was on fire, several attendants and patrons were terrified at one corner of the casino while in the middle several security guards were struggling to keep in check his companions who looked a bit drunk and royally pissed off

"What do you mean my luck in love is that of a dragon!?!?" said a red faced Sakura as she dodged one of the security guards punches

"I know she cheated, I don't know how but she cheated!!!" screamed Tsunade as she tossed a guard over the poker table.

Naruto panicked upon the sight if they continued any further they would call the enemy ninja and expose them. He strode towards his "slaves" and grab their arms forcefully to call their attention and stop them

"What are you doing!?" "This wasn't the kind of distraction I needed!" he whispered madly into their ears.

Both just grinned and hugged him tightly squeezing the air out of his lungs.

"Master!" "You came back!" clearly they were more intoxicated than he thought at first.

Managing to get out from their grip, he took them both and leaded them towards their room. On the path he encountered Kita once again.

"They caused quite a mess eh?" "Aren't they your slaves? Shouldn't they be trained to behave?"

Naruto thought quickly a response

"Well, officially yes they are my slaves but you saw their strength, I am no match against them"

"They used to be wandering assassins until they were captured and sold to me, at the beginning they did tried to kill me but once I started to give them stuff and treat them nicely they opened up to me and accepted me as their master"

Kita acknowledged

"Such a generous heart, I am moved" said in a very unclear tone.

Naruto knowing his story wasn't anything like his character corrected

"Well not that generous, they were perfect to be my bodyguards and to warm me during nights"

"And after this I will have to _discipline_ them!"

Kita laughed softly

"Well, be certain to enjoy while you train them properly"

Naruto, blushing a little over the last exchange managed to drag both girls to the room and laid them down on the bed, where they fell almost completely asleep.

Naruto knowing he had attracted too much attention upon himself decided to just lie down on the couch and spend the night quietly. Of course Sakura and Tsunade wouldn't have any of that.

**LEMON ALERT!!!**** (First of many I hope!)**

As Naruto lay falling asleep, he felt a couple of soft hands covering his eyes and a low seductive voice next to his ear "Seems like master made a promise to discipline us both, isn't that right Celia?"

Giggling, Celia (Sakura in case you forgot) sat on Ryuji's lap "Yeah he did, we have been bad slaves after all"

"Ah girls, you do know I was mmph" Naruto was shut by Sakura as she leaned in to his ear "Naruto you have to play along, this time there is a ninja here and might as well be listening to what´s going on here"

Arching her back while straddling Naruto, Celia spoke loudly, "We know you are not in the mood master but we are so jealous of you kissing that woman's hand, it hurt us so please make it up as you promised"

Naruto felt a shot of pleasure going through his pants and hitting him hard at the deepest part of his being, making the hot dizzy sensation come back in full force.

Naruto panting in desire and expectation whispered to Sakura's ear, "Ah ah…Are you sure this is what you want? Because I don't think I will be able to stop myself much longer"

Sakura whispered back in his ear "Ever since I met you, you never stopped to amaze me, you are far stronger than anyone I have met before, you always smile when you see me, you call me nice names, you, you are innocent but you want to improve and reach higher"

"Ever since you cried in the forest in my arms, I think I came to love you, you don't hide anything from me and you are kind by nature"

"My mother once said that if you are going to lose your virginity to someone before marriage make certain that the person you give it to, is worthy of taking such grace"

"I want to give it to you because you are the most worthy person I have met"

At this she crashed her lips against his now losing into each other. Tsunade watched this and remembered her first time with her beloved Dan, but frowned when Naruto and Sakura were doing nothing but making out and clumsily groping each other, clearly they lacked experience and confidence to try new things. Lucky them she was there as well.

As Naruto and Sakura continued their make out session, Tsunade approached Naruto from behind the couch and ripped his shirt open and started to trace her hands all over his chest, Naruto feeling the new intruder turned his head only to be intercepted by Tsunade who got her tongue inside Naruto's mouth and started to pleasure him further.

Sakura seeing that Naruto's mouth was busy proceeded to move on his lap as his hot rod started to get harder and massage her nether regions pleasantly, at this she also started to kiss his chest.

Tsunade stopped kissing Naruto and told him to do the same with Sakura to which Naruto complied eagerly as his mouth ravished Sakura's.

Tsunade then moved to Sakura and started to lift her light pink gown over her head splitting her and Naruto for a second; Sakura gasped a low "No don't" but was silenced once again by Naruto as she was now straddling Naruto with nothing but her panties which were starting to get very wet as she continued to move on his lap.

Tsunade took Naruto's hands and guided them to Sakura's breasts that fitted his hands just perfectly; Tsunade made his hands go in slow circles while gently squeezing Sakura's breasts.

Tsunade proceeded to remove her own gown revealing her deep purple thong (kinky!) and moved next to Naruto, who in turn took one of Tsunade's breasts which were way bigger than Sakura's but equally soft.

Sakura had Naruto pinch her nipple which made her moan in Naruto's mouth, to which Naruto responded doing the same with Tsunade's breast making her give a surprised moan.

They continued their ministrations eagerly but Tsunade decided to move up the scale a little; she had Sakura move from Naruto, both wined but were quickly silenced when Tsunade removed Naruto's pants along with his stained underwear. Before them stood Naruto's impressive thick 10 inches long cock.

Tsunade dropped to her knees and pulled Sakura, who was staring in a trance, along with her.

"Sakura watch what I do and then you will do it" said Tsunade as she began to stroke with her hand Naruto's dick.

Naruto grunted to this but relaxed as Tsunade increased her speed and got a stronger grip of his dick.

Tsunade stopped and before Naruto protested, started to lick his shaft from the bottom to the tip slowly, twirling her tongue on his tip a couple of times before going down again.

Sakura staring at her sensei's technique while feeling hot started to rub her own breasts and her pussy through her panties.

Tsunade stopped licking and took Naruto's tip into her mouth sucking strongly which made Naruto tremble; at this he wanted Tsunade to go deeper but a glare from her stopped him right on his tracks.

Tsunade started to suck and lick in quick succession as she went deeper and deeper on Naruto's cock, at this Sakura got up and started kissing Naruto again.

Tsunade was quite impressed with Naruto's resilience; she was trying her best to make him cum at least once to make him feel better and ready him for the later rounds.

Tsunade took him out from her mouth and squeezed him between her breasts as she stroke and lick him at the same time.

Naruto felt a new surge of pleasure running through him and pushing slightly Sakura from his mouth panted "Something is coming I can feel it!"

Tsunade knew what it was and once again took Naruto into her mouth but this time she deep throated him which made Naruto to release inside of her mouth and directly into her throat. She kept drinking it as he continued to shoot his semen into her in strong bursts.

"Puah! It's been a while since I had dick! And your jizz is quite tasty as well" Opening her mouth she showed Naruto who got erect once again.

"Celia come here and taste this" Tsunade pulled Sakura to her and stuck her tongue out wanting Sakura to lick it; Sakura looked terribly embarrassed but did it anyway, Tsunade surprised her by giving her a hard kiss with tongue included.

When Tsunade finally let her go Sakura looked dazed; Tsunade then guided her to Naruto's cock and instructed her to do the same she did before and to be creative.

Shyly, Sakura took a hold of his cock and started to slowly stroke it amazed by how warm and hard it felt; She started to increase speed as Naruto's grunts sound more and more pleasant.

Tsunade didn't wasted more time and stood over Naruto, "Take off my thong slowly"

Naruto gulped and moved his hands to Tsunade's hip and grabbed the sides of the thong pulling them down slowly as he graced hi fingers over Tsunade's long legs.

"Mmm, excellent Naruto, felt really good, now look, this is how a pussy looks like"

Naruto watched Tsunade's pussy which was glittering with her juices and a finely triangle patch of blonde hair above.

"Don't be shy _Master _have a taste" with this she closed in the distance with Naruto's face.

Naruto first took a sniff at her scent, it was raw but strangely exciting and intoxicating, he then started to lightly lick her cunt to have a taste of her juices. It was like nothing he had tasted before but wanted more so he started to go deeper in her pussy.

Tsunade moaned pleasantly at this, she turned to see Sakura's progress who was still stroking him.

"Celia, start sucking him like I did and don't stop until he climax"

Sakura went a bit redder but complied and started to lick him, she knew that she wouldn't be able to do the breast thing with him, but would give her best anyway.

Sakura then opened her mouth and started to suck him with a lot of strength going deeper and deeper.

Tsunade approved but noticed that her own pleasure wasn't rising, Naruto was only licking her, and she needed to step up things.

"_Master_?" Naruto stopped and looked up, "See the little nub above my pussy? Please lick it too"

Naruto watched said nub which was pink and very inviting; he started to lick slowly to which Tsunade replied with a low moan.

Naruto wanting to experiment, he bit softly her clit which gained him a louder and rather surprised moan from Tsunade, at this Naruto continued his ministrations faster and harder.

On her side, Sakura was starting to get tired, but remembering how Tsunade had deep throated him, deduced she needed to relax her throat and accommodate Naruto's cock in it; she started to do this slowly but started to gag on it,; she tried again using her chakra to help her, this time she succeeded and also using her chakra started to stimulate him further.

Feeling the increased pleasure Naruto attacked more roughly Tsunade's pussy, "Mmmm, don't stop I am almost there!!" said Tsunade as her knees started to grow weaker but Naruto hold her in place using his right hand.

Naruto also felt his own orgasm approaching again and with his left hand grabbed Sakura's head and held her in place a he started to cum down her throat; she was surprised but endured it.

At the same time Tsunade screamed when Naruto bit her clit harder "I am Cumming!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Her juices exploded from her pussy and fell on Naruto's face who started to lick and swallowing them.

When Naruto let go both girls, they were amazed that Naruto's cock was still standing strong; apparently he would go all the way down on them.

Tsunade embraced Sakura seductively and turned to Naruto "Well _Master,_ what is your command?"

Naruto feeling excited ordered Tsunade to remove Sakura's panties, both were surprised when noticed that she was perfectly shaved down there, Sakura explained that she did it when she was looking for a man, and had read that men liked girls who did that.

Moving on, Naruto laid Sakura on the bed and spread her legs, she was embarrassed but Naruto didn't care as he started to eat her pussy; Sakura was much more sensitive and moaned more and louder than Tsunade.

Meanwhile Tsunade placed herself under Naruto and once again was sucking him with all her might.

It didn't took long for Sakura to cum under Naruto's ministrations but since he didn't had his own release yet, continued relentlessly to make Sakura cum over and over again.

When Tsunade finally made Naruto cum and swallow his cum in the process, she removed herself from under him right when Sakura was having her fourth orgasm.

"Very well _Master _now let's move on to the main course" at this she spread Sakura's legs and signaled Naruto to get close.

"Well, now take you cock and place the tip at her pussy's entrance"

Sakura was panting and got really nervous; would such large thing really fit inside of her?

Tsunade watched Sakura's worried face so lowering to her face she whispered, you wanted to give your virginity to him right?" Sakura nodded "then don't be scared it doesn't hurt that much and in time it starts to feel really good, as for his size, he might be larger than most men but we women are VERY flexible, so enjoy the ride"

Tsunade rose from Sakura's face and got to Naruto "I know you want to release yourself but this time be really gentle with her, go slowly and move with her rhythm, so you both enjoy each other"

Tsunade guide Naruto's cock to the right place at Sakura's entrance and instructed him to go slowly; Sakura gritted her teeth as Naruto's huge cock was slowly spreading her walls and ripping through her hymen.

When Sakura let out a small scream Naruto stopped wondering I he had hurt her, but Sakura wrapped him with both legs and arms and whispered "It hurts but it's fading, you can move slowly"

Gladly Naruto started to slowly move in and out of Sakura each time getting deeper and deeper. She was so tight and he was scraping her inner walls so roughly, both felt in heaven and started to get more and more into the pleasure they gave each other.

Tsunade was watching while drinking some water, she wouldn't interrupt their first time, the night was still young and there was plenty of time to play with them.

As Sakura's pain faded completely she demanded Naruto to go faster, harder and deeper.

At this, Naruto pick her up and continued fucking her standing which made Sakura start screaming in pleasure as her long ponytail went loose and her hair flowed freely behind her and enveloped both as they reached their climax.

"I am Cumming!!!" screamed Naruto and Sakura at the same time.

Naruto started to fill her up while Sakura had her back arched enjoying her strongest orgasm so far.

Naruto fell on top of Sakura while still pumping her full and panting said "That was amazing!" while Sakura responded kissing him "I love you Naruto; I love you with all my heart!"

Naruto didn't know what to answer so he just kissed her more.

Tsunade watched the exchange and knew that Naruto's feelings were still unclear about Sakura, he would realize in time, she was certain. But now the games begin!

Tsunade approached them both and separated them and making a few quick hand signs placed her hands on Sakura's belly. Surprised Sakura asked a bit worried "What was that?"

"That was a birth control Jutsu, just in case" "I don't think any of you is ready to bear with a child right?" "By the way _Master_, always remember to ask if you are allowed to cum inside a girl, not all women know how to perform this Jutsu or have a pill at hand, and with the amount you let out is very likely you could get any woman pregnant in one go"

Naruto nodded as he laid on the bed getting ready to sleep but Tsunade grabbed his cock and dangerously said "_Master_, a man never leaves a woman unsatisfied, his duty is to the end"

And so Tsunade proceeded to a night of nonstop pleasure teaching both youngsters the art of sex and new levels of pleasure she had almost forgotten.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

At the next morning the Naruto and Sakura woke up feeling very tired but Tsunade seemed very refreshed and content, both women were impressed with Naruto's endurance that seemed unlimited as well as the mess he made out of them.

Having a rather long shared bath they dressed and prepared themselves to finish the mission; today was the day Kita Hubei would announce the business deal for the rich investors and the best chance to know about the operations of the Momochi Raiders in the Land of Fire.

**AN: And done!**

**Wow that took me forever, I am sorry for the really late update, I know I promised to make quick updates but this one was very problematic given the nature of the mission and my insistence on getting as much as I could into this chapter.**

**From now on my chapters will be shorter and missions or adventures will be split into more chapters for updating purposes.**

**That was my very first Lemon (yay) hope you liked it, it felt kind of weird writing that stuff, fun but weird.**

**For the pairing fanatics, since Naruto still has to travel the many lands ahead and is still very inexperienced he couldn't answer Sakura's heated confession, for story purposes the NaruSaku arch ends with the Senju and upon future reviews it may or not become the main pairing, so no bashing, I want solid reasons based on MY characters description and interaction, not the manga or the anime! (Though manga NaruSaku makes more sense to me than the others)**

**Lastly, for the next arch I want you people to decide which clan does Naruto visits next, the options are Sarutobi, Hyuga or Uchiha, each will have their own adventures, main plot follow up, and of course pairings with lemons included. I will decide this upon the number of reviews requesting them by the end of chapter 9, so review and vote!!! **

**I don't post a poll because besides the voting I want opinions and criticism on the story so far!**


	9. Ninja relations and Farewells

**Chapter 8: Ninja Relations and Farewells**

**Quick ****AN: Ok this chapter is more like a conclusion from the Senju arc.**

**The next 1 or 2 chapters will be dedicated to Naruto's passing through the Ino-Shika-Cho lands, this will be like a transition chapter(s) with information and more training for Naruto about the ninja age, also expect lemon!.**

**Still waiting for enough reviews to decide on Naruto's next major clan to visit, even anonymous will do!**

As Naruto and the girls exited their room, the first thing they noticed was that the security onboard had been tripled and was fully armed with swords, crossbows and spears. They cursed under their breaths as last night they were to "busy" to notice the new arrival of more guards to the boat. They also noticed that the number of attendants had greatly diminished and could barely be seen.

This would make any attempt to spy, fight or escape far more difficult than they had anticipated not mentioning the inconvenience of being on a boat in the middle of the ocean.

Sakura and Tsunade knew that the increased security could mean a number of possibilities; some high ranking member was coming, eliminate anyone who won't invest with them or they suspected a spy was onboard. Whatever the reason the whole situation became very dangerous for everyone.

Naruto on his side thought that something just wasn't right about the increased security; they already had a skilled ninja onboard, so skilled that managed to remain hidden from them all this time, he didn't felt things were particularly dangerous for him and the girls but still sensed something horrible was about to happen.

As they crossed to have breakfast they noticed that the other patrons were worried as well for the increased security and a bit annoyed for the small number of female attendants left on the boat, also Kita wasn't anywhere to be seen.

As the day progressed their suspicions grew worse; Naruto tried asking for Kita's whereabouts pretending to have a small date later on, but no one onboard gave him a straight answer.

Gathering on the boat's deck to avoid being heard they discussed their current situation.

"Any thoughts on what's going on?" asked Naruto who clearly didn't had any idea but couldn't get the feeling that something horrible was about to occur.

"The remaining attendants seemed to be nervous but I don't think they know what's going on" said Sakura as she watched carefully in the surroundings while holding on to Naruto from his left side.

Tsunade on her right spoke "The guards on the other side seemed excited and expectant, like if waiting for something to happen, I tried to seduce one of the guards to know, but he was tight lipped; which means whatever he knows is going to happen soon, judging by the time, during lunch and the proposal"

"Think Kita will be there?" asked Naruto

"Can't tell, for all we know she may have already left the boat or the ninja onboard will appear disguised as her" answered Tsunade who was trying to remember if she had ever seen such tactics from a ninja.

"What bothers me is, if they invited all this wealthy people to make them investors and facilitators, why get them nervous like this a few hours before the event? Even if they were to kill anyone who refused to invest, the best chance would be when they don't expect any danger"

The mystery just grew larger in their minds as lunch time was nearing, the only available option was to assist the event and be prepared for anything, and disaster seemed apparent but having no way to escape they would have to face it.

The team returned to their room in order to prepare, having brought in sealing scrolls large amounts of ninja tools and equipment, Naruto's only weapon for the coming event was his trusted Tri-Kunai; this time he would not miss, this time he would not fail his friends, this time if the need arises, would be out for blood.

Having prepared, concealing equipment and weapons, they headed slowly to the main deck were tables were displayed for the main event. They were the last to arrive, with Naruto still trying to sport his playboy look. As they were seated and being served lunch, the best choice was to avoid eating it at all, just in case the food was poisoned or affected with some drug.

By time dessert was being served Kita Hubei made her appearance on the main stage and after dismissing all attendants addressed the audience staring at them with an expectant look in her eyes.

"Fine gentlemen, before I continue let me thank you on my organization's behalf, your presence here speaks volumes of your commitment to make your way through life" at this part she stared right into Naruto's eyes "Your ruthless and most disgusting decaying ways has always been a great reminder of why regular people should bow their heads to their superiors!!!" With this she closed her eyes briefly.

Sakura and Tsunade noticed the sudden killer intent emanating from Kita towards the whole audience, they realized that the ninja onboard has always been her; they tensed for combat but became frozen when Kita started to open her eyes.

Dark red eyes with three spinning tomoes stared intensely into Naruto who felt like if his entire body became terribly heavy and his reflexes were dulling; before fading completely all he could hear was Sakura's voice screaming something at him.

Naruto reopened his eyes but he was no longer standing along his companions, this time he was standing only in his pants on a barren wasteland with a lightly illuminated moon over him, no stars could be seen and the only thing he could hear was his own breathing.

Suddenly like a mirage Kita's image appeared before him.

"Mmm, Ryuji seems you are more resilient than the rest of those filthy sub humans, that means you are trained in some shinobi arts" licking her lips she continued "You lied to me the other day, didn't you?" "You weren't looking for me, so taking this chance let me know why you are here, what were you expecting to do by boarding this ship?"

Naruto replied angrily but with a certain degree of fear in his voice, he knew he was trapped in a genjutsu but this was the most impressive and strongest genjutsu he has ever seen, so strong in fact that he was incapable of controlling his own actions much less his chakra.

"What did you do with my companions!?"

Kita laughed lightly "Those sluts are your partners in crime?" "Thanks for that bit of information"

"You see Ryuji, we are trapped inside a world where I am a goddess, and a whole day here is barely a second out in the real world" "Our little exchange is happening at a speed that only light could hope to match"

Now tracing his chest Kita leaned on him "So, are you going to tell me? Or should I make you?" "I am fine in any case"

Naruto realized he was at her mercy, but no matter what he would not speak of anything regarding his mission.

Kita's face made a small pout "Ok, have it your way I will make you tell me everything I need, and just for the fun, I will make you tell me all your secrets, desires, nightmares, and dreams"

Stretching Kita leaned on him once again, "So let's begin my dear, you seem strong so it will be my pleasure to rip apart your mind"

For Naruto It seems like entire hours have gone by now, he had managed to keep Kita out from his head so far using an exercise Jiraiya taught him in case he was interrogated with torture. He had to create a thought he could grab on to and focus solely on it so the enemy couldn't have any openings. His thought was Riku and his promise to never fail a comrade again.

"Well I have to recognize it, your mental fortitude is far stronger than I have anticipated" "But that doesn't mean I have been completely unsuccessful…Naruto, that is your name isn't it?" "The little thing you eat with ramen or the maelstrom, I wonder which one you are"

Naruto panicked, he had faltered he needed to focus!

"This is getting tiresome, so I am not going to be gentle anymore" "This is your last chance Naruto, tell me what are you doing here or I will make you suffer so much that hell will look like a nice resting place"

Naruto remained silent and resolute.

"Fine, but remember this isn't personal" she faded away, he was alone again.

A new mirage started to appear before him, he immediately recognized the figure as Riku who approached him and hugged him tenderly.

"You are fighting so gallantly on my name, me a little girl, I feel so honored" "I wish I could stay with you like this, you would protect me and I wouldn't have to fight or fear anymore"

Naruto was crying, her touch felt so real for a moment he allowed himself to just think she was indeed alive.

But at that moment appearing like a ghost the rogue ninja appeared in front of them. Riku jumped behind Naruto who was still unable to move.

"Please help me Lord Naruto! I am scared!"

"He he he, seems like we meet again boy, still scared of killing?" the rogue ninja said while grinning widely.

The rogue ninja yanked Riku from Naruto's back and threw her on the ground where she remained frozen in panic. The rogue then approached her like a hungry animal with lust in his eyes and started to rip her clothes revealing her young 14 year old body.

"Stop!!! You bastard stop!!!!!!!!!!!" Naruto screamed with all his might unable to move but the ninja didn't hear him as he continued to rip Riku's clothes.

Feeling mad like never before, everything started to acquire that red hue, his breathing turned harder and faster.

"**I SAID STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!"**

At this the entire area seem like a cracked piece of glass, the background exploded into pieces as a strong wind emanating from behind Naruto erased the illusion before him, leaving Kita exposed to his wrath.

Kita was speechless and unable to move she felt like her own genjutsu was working against her, the wind was now carrying a red mist that burned her on contact; she saw Naruto who was approaching her slowly, with his eyes covered by his hair.

Naruto growled deeply feeling so angry, he really wanted to smash her but some part of him told him that everything was an illusion; he remembered her last words "…remember this isn't personal…"

He growled again and screaming with rage **"GET OUT!!!"**

Kita felt an immense gust of wind pushing her farther from Naruto as her grip on his mind was quickly breaking; the last thing she could see from his mindscape was two gigantic red slitted eyes above and behind Naruto.

Naruto opened his eyes and realized he was still standing at the same spot he was when Kita began her Genjutsu, he turned to see Sakura and Tsunade beating the guards who were trying to kill them but failing miserably; he turned again and saw all the rich men lying dead on the tables with lost looks and foam coming from their mouths, apparently Kita played a number on them as well, he was lucky to be trained or else he would be in the same position.

Regaining his composure he took out his Tri-Kunai and launched himself to where Kita was kneeling panting and trembling, he took her from the neck and placed his kunai next to her throat; he was going to demand her surrender but she beat him to it by immediately surrendering and whimpering in the process. She had seen a real piece of hell after all.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The battle was briefly ended with most guards being killed by Sakura and Tsunade, apparently the guards were actually bandits in disguise, brought under the promise of stealing from really rich people.

Naruto had tied Kita to a chair and had her blindfolded just in case she did her eye thing again.

When Sakura and Tsunade came to check up on Naruto he had Kita already subdued and tied up, they quickly explained that she was an Uchiha and that he was placed under a really potent genjutsu, they had to make a defensive perimeter ignoring Kita to deal with the disguised bandits.

Both wanted to know how he had escaped such technique but he seemed really upset and a bit uncontrolled as his actions were erratic, they figured that he managed to break free but went a bit scarred after the experience.

Naruto once again stepped close to Kita and held his Kunai next to her throat; he really wanted to end her life. "What the hell is going on!?" "Why you killed the investors, why are there bandits!?"

Kita having collected herself and knowing that her life was at his hands replied carefully

"I was on a long term mission from my clan" she wouldn't say more than she needed.

Naruto was very surprised, this was something he never expected, another ninja could be present in the area but to think that she was in a mission like them was a reality of the ninja age he never thought of.

Indeed many battles and even wars started because the objectives of two ninja belonging to different clans went against each other, one had to destroy the other had to defend and so their battle was inevitable.

At this piece of information Tsunade took Kita's bandage away from her eyes, Naruto tried to stop her but Tsunade spoke first.

"I am Tsunade Senju, princess of the Senju clan, lords of the northern forest; in proclamation of the armistice signed 10 years ago I demand an explanation for your presence and interference in a Senju clan mission!"

Kita was surprised to see such a high ranking member of the Senju before her, now that she looked well, she was indeed said woman, only her look, which remained that of a slutty mature slave, fooled her well enough.

"To begin with, my name isn't Kita Hubei, said person perished almost a year ago, my name is Kitara Uchiha of the Uchiha clan, lords of the eastern lands and masters of fire, and I am the first niece of Fugaku Uchiha, current clan leader"

Tsunade not expecting a member of the Uchiha royalty to be present decided that to avoid conflict the best way to go would be diplomacy; she had Sakura untie her and check her up for any injuries.

Naruto was very confused, a moment ago this woman was a member of the Momochi Raiders, the next moment she killed over 100 of the wealthiest people in the Land of Fire and had him terribly tortured in a genjutsu, and now she just said she was from some other clan and had Tsunade and Sakura helping her get up and making sure she was fine.

Getting close and whispering to Sakura's ear he asked "Sakura-chan, why are we helping her? Didn't she just destroyed our mission?"

"Naruto she isn't a Momochi Raider, she is royalty from one of the most powerful clans in the Land of Fire and perhaps the world, our mission for all purposes is over so there is no longer any need for fighting"

"Not to mention that mishandling a ninja from the Uchiha is a bad idea, we signed an armistice ten years ago to stop the fighting that consumed our clans for many generations, Tsunade –sensei as royalty herself has the duty of keeping our clan's honor and safety above everything, even the mission"

Naruto now remembered that Jiraiya once said that the world was divided into many clans and each one was radically different from the other, peaceful politics among them were rare and when peace was achieved was hardly kept.

"So that means we are to treat her with respect and honor?"

"No, that means that we have to be very careful, many on both clans wants the armistice to be broken and reignite the hostilities, we have to tread carefully on this kind of encounters, the last thing we want is to be blamed for re starting the war among the clans of the Land of Fire!"

Back to Tsunade

"So our paths crossed because our missions had something to do with the Momochi Raiders, mind sharing with us your info on the Raiders in exchange we tell you what we know"

Kitara now free from her restraints but continuously eyeing Naruto responded

"Fine I will tell you what you want, my mission is almost over already; Over a year and a half ago one of our intelligence units found evidence that an underground criminal organization started to operate within the Land of Water and its operations were getting dangerously close to the Land of Fire, our leaders dismissed it as nothing but a small time band of thugs abusing the unprotected villages in Water that wouldn't dare to cross the border"

"We were wrong as the organization attacked one of our scouting parties when they encountered a small smuggling operation of rice being transported illegally out from our lands"

"The party was attacked by ninja not mere thugs or Samurai, we lost one scout and the others had to flee"

"After that incident it was determined that this criminal organization was far more than it looked like, and so I was assigned to investigate"

"Over a year ago I infiltrated Green Mist a large neutral city in Water, disguised as another refugee from the constant fighting among Water clans; in this city I met the real Kita Hubei who to my surprise was very similar to my appearance and age. Her front was that of an owner of several whorehouses who received orphaned girls from the battles and gave them jobs as prostitutes and courtesans, in reality she used her girls to establish probable business contacts for the Raiders"

"Since I was almost identical to her I became her favorite to keep close, I suspected it was in case of an assassin she could use me as bait or failsafe in case she failed the Raiders"

"I worked with her for some weeks learning everything I could about them and her; I intended to use our similarity to further infiltrate the Raiders in the future"

"There I learned about Zabuza and his intentions to conquer the Land of Water…"

"When Kita received notice that the Momochi Raiders intended to enter the Land of Fire through a different location and needed her and her girls to gather contacts in Fire"

"Having learned all this I thought that my mission was over, but when I relayed the info to my superiors they commanded that I stopped them from entering the Land of Fire, and was cleared to use any means necessary. The presence of the Raiders in Fire could become a destabilizing force among the clans of Fire and no war would start from a bunch or criminals"

"I killed Kita that day and took over her duties, I sold the whore houses and used the money to build the Casino and the boat; my intention was to attract all those in the Land of Fire and the border with Lightning with enough money and arrogance to challenge the ninja supremacy on Fire and annihilate them all in one blow"

"I succeeded, this way any attempts of the Raiders to infiltrate Fire will stop since they will know that we are watching and we know they exist not to mention that any future investor will be scared to death; as we speak the casino is on fire and Kita will sink along with this boat"

Tsunade nodded taking in all the info Kitara gave her

"It seems the Uchiha managed to infiltrate them a long time ago; would you mind sharing with us if they have any other activities in Fire, I believe the same about the Raiders being a danger for our clans and in good relations name the info could prove valuable"

"You don't have to worry about that, I was the liaison to start business in Fire after my clan destroyed their smuggling operations on the eastern borderlands, they don't have any reach beyond what happened here, and after today they will turn their heads towards Lightning were clans actually profit from such decaying things as slavery and the like"

"Zabuza wants funds to conquer Water, that is his main drive; unfortunately I didn't manage to get close to the man or learn how close to reach his goal he is"

"He could become a dangerous enemy if he succeeds and have the entire country at his grasp, no clan or ninja has conquered an entire elemental land before"

"But with this we bought time and now there is nothing else to do except sink this boat and get back home"

Pleased knowing that the mission was over and a great deal of trouble for the Senju has been averted, Tsunade told the team to abandon the ship along with Kitara as they travelled back to Taki to make sure the casino was nothing but ashes. On the way Naruto never spoke once to the Uchiha, in his mind she was a formidable ninja, having the guts the brains and the will to last years on a single mission, but what she did to him was beyond forgiveness.

On Kitara's mind she acknowledged both Senju girls, the fabled Tsunade and her terrifying apprentice Sakura (word spreads fast!) but Naruto was a mystery. Yes, he was a ninja, but her little mind illusions demonstrated that he wasn't a member of Senju, actually his behavior seemed that of a person bred entirely different to a regular ninja.

And then the last things she saw on his mind the rage, the killer intent, the evil in those eyes; how a boy who seemed so joyous, always smiling to the pinky and grinning like an idiot, could have such things in his core?

Kitara though a bit afraid of his reaction decided to ask "Naruto I can tell you are not from Senju, would you please tell me where you come from?"

Naruto looked at her an just huffed and ignored her

Kitara was now angry, he was acting like a child, she told him that what happened wasn't personal, true the image she used was awful and even herself felt a bit bad for it but she was on a mission!

"Aw common you are still mad for the genjutsu?" "I said it wasn't personal!" "What kind of ninja you are if you don't get that?"

Sakura interjected and dragged Kitara away "Naruto is a, mmm, special case he isn't accustomed to this sort tactics; let me talk to him"

Sakura moved over to Naruto, Sakura seemed like explaining something to him, he huffed as he answered something and Sakura then leaned and spoke softly in his ear.

The next second Naruto was in front of Kitara blushing a bit but still somewhat angry with her

"If you apologize I will forgive you" stated Naruto

Kitara was dumbfounded; Uchihas are among the proudest persons you will find, the single idea of apologizing to an unknown ninja was preposterous. But then again the mystery was eating her away and no one had to know right?

"I am sorry" Kitara spoke in a low voice very much like a child

"What? Didn't heard you speak loud and clear or I won't forgive you"

"I AM SORRY!!!" screamed Kitara

Naruto thinking he had her continued "Sorry for what?"

At this Kitara ignited her Sharingan and dangerously said "Don't push it kid!"

Naruto covered his eyes and whimpered "Ok OK I forgive you just don't show me the evil eye"

Kitara relaxed and deactivated her Sharingan "Hey we began with the wrong step, I am Kitara Uchiha as you know"

Naruto rose smiling at her friendliness "And I am Naruto the new sage from Myoboku!"

Tsunade and Sakura couldn't believe he just told someone else (again) he was a sage!

Surprised Kitara stepped back, "A sage? As in the sages from legend?"

"Yup, that's what I am!"

"I actually believe that, it explains a few things" grinning "especially how you can please several times two women like them"

Tsunade, Sakura and Naruto went scarlet at this. Naruto timidly asked "You saw that?"

Kitara grinned even more "The whole thing!; you know I actually wanted a bit from that myself"

Naruto fainted, Sakura was crying and Tsunade just sighed.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Kitara left the group on the entrance of the Senju forest as she wanted to take some days to relax before reporting back at the Uchihas, she also warned Naruto that he will have to make good on his promise of compensate her for the trouble they caused onboard. (Read last chapter).

The group decided to stay the night at the staging ground before moving to Green Keep, once again Tsunade managed to convince them of sleeping together since it felt so nice(no sex this time); also because she somehow knew that Naruto would be leaving them soon…

Next day they departed at first hour towards Green Keep to report in and have Naruto make a decision.

The group arrived by nightfall to the city so Tsunade decided to go ahead to the palace and tell them the mission was a success and the report would be given the next day. Tsunade told them both to go and have a date or whatever they wanted to do.

Sakura took Naruto for an easy stroll through the city as they walked with arms linked, under the luminescent trees that worked as light poles (green energies!)

"That was some exciting mission right Naruto?"

"Yeah it was, it taught me a lot of things"

"Me too, but more than anything I got to be with you, I am so happy you came to my life, I was afraid I was going to be left alone the rest of my life…but now that's just a bad memory"

"I am thankful for meeting you and the others as well, I once felt I didn't belonged to this world, that I did something wrong when father kicked me out from Myoboku and it was a punishment"

"He sent me to learn all the wonderful things of being a human and know true happiness"

Sakura looked up to him, the stars and the lights made him look almost like a dream, but as dreams fade she just hold on to his neck and gave him the softest kiss he has received so far.

He returned it as well and soon they were in a tender hug as they lightly kissed each other.

Naruto stopped and watched Sakura, she had changed since they first saw each other at the hospital, she once looked so rough, pushy and somewhat of really strong character; now she looked so delicate, her emerald green eyes were glowing intensely, her lips were the softest thing he touched, and he just wanted to kiss her forehead, she had turned into what Jiraiya always said a woman could be, a living goddess…

Sakura realizing the desire in his eyes led him to a nearby hotel, she could always tell her family she just arrived.

That night the only thing that happened between them was love.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The next day Naruto and Sakura exited the hotel, as they were walking Naruto spoke

"Say Sakura; remember what you told me when we returned from our first mission together?

"Mmm, yeah about finding something worth doing with your skills, have you decided?

"That's the problem, I know I want to stop tragedies, like Riku's, from happening again but even with all the skills and knowledge I have so far, I can't find a way to do it, there is so much I still don't know about the world and its people, I can't understand why someone betrays their home so easily, why others desire to conquer whole nations, why others kill so easily just because it's more convenient or fast, is all this chaos what being a ninja is!?"

Sakura looked at his face, he wasn't scared or terribly confused like in the woods when Riku died he was determined to find an answer for his questions and sadly she realized that those answers weren't in this forest alone, they were spread throughout the world and as all Sages from legend, he would have to walk the world seeking that knowledge or leave it for the next sage to find.

She didn't answer anything and just held his hand as they made way for the Senju Palace.

Once they arrived Naruto was surprised to see the Palace full of people in wonderful clothing as if for a celebration. Tsunade who was dressed in a light green summer dress came to grab them and lead them towards the Ancestors Hall, were Nawaki and Yamato were greeting several monks and priests that respect the forest deities. Apparently they lost track of time and arrived during the many celebrations for the forest deities and the Senju clan ancestors.

They spend the day dancing, eating, and drinking to their hearts content, for Naruto this was his first celebration among humans, he was truly grateful for the ninja world to also have its joyous moments, if only he could make them all like this for everyone.

The next day the celebrations were done and Naruto was before Yamato and Nawaki, also present stood Tsunade and Sakura.

"Naruto, I am glad your second mission proved to be a success, though luck had a great deal of importance, no ninja can survive out there without it. And according to Tsunade and Sakura your performed perfectly, you kept your cover to the very end fooling effectively an Uchiha, which is no easy feat"

"In the name of the Senju I declare your debt to us fulfilled, you are free to do as you wish"

Nawaki who has been quiet in presence of Naruto all this time spoke up.

"I Nawaki Senju, future leader of Clan Senju which to express my gratitude to the sage Naruto for visiting us, your stay was brief and filled with both victory and grief but I can tell great things awaits you"

"It's for this that I extend an invitation to formally join our clan and spend your days as a brother to us all"

Naruto was speechless, the leader of a clan offered him a new home and a real human family to be with; he allowed himself to dream a little about such a life.

Smiling he replied the best he could "Lord Senju, I am truly thankful for such honor but I am afraid I can't accept; I claim to be a sage but they are men and women of great wisdom and knowledge, the day I become one is still many days and journeys away from me"

Sakura felt a little sad about such words but also acknowledged the little piece of wisdom in them, Naruto just learned humility and self awareness, and he was at least on the right path.

"I am sorry to hear that, but we are all glad that such a future sage will grace our times, perhaps you will find that great illuminating experience the ninja age needs"

"I hope that if you do, your path takes you back to us, for you can call the Senju your friends as long as our forests stand"

Yamato was pleased with Nawaki's words, he would become a great ruler some day, and finally some vacations for himself!

Tsunade hugged Naruto tenderly and gave him a good luck kiss on his forehead and gave him a neck less with a beautiful green rock, she told him it was a treasure given by the Senju to the most worthy friends and allies, and it would bring him good luck.

Sakura was assigned to escort him out of the forest to the southern exit. Both stood at the edge of the forest as the sun was setting, Sakura looked very sad but tried to remain calm and strong for him.

**Flashback**

Naruto and Jiraiya were eating after an intense ninjutsu training session; Jiraiya had been trying to teach Naruto all he could about the things outside the mountain and of course about women.

"Naruto, from all the things about women I have taught you, this one you have to remember above all things; All women are maidens with fragile hearts, once broken it's very difficult to put them back together and they never become like they used to, for a woman the words "I love you" are incredibly hard to say honestly, so if you don't love them back or you aren't sure of your feelings, do or say anything but lie"

"Hey are you hearing me!?"

**End Flashback**

Naruto smiled at the memory, his father did have some wisdom after all.

"Sakura-chan, remember you told me you loved me?

Sakura blushed lightly at her heated confession and nodded, is he going to confess?, is he going to reject me?

"I didn't knew what to say then, and to be honest I am still at a loss about it"

Sakura dropped her head but Naruto caught her and lifted her face to his.

"There is so much I don't know about myself and everything else out there; but you are the very first thing I can say without doubt that is beautiful, strong and overall wonderful"

"You are my first friend and that already makes you like no other in my eyes"

"As far as saying that I love you, it would be unfair to tell you that and show uncertainty"

"I will be on the road, I will learn a lot, I will get stronger and when I finally find something worthy to achieve; I will return and tell you my feelings"

Naruto hugged her as warmly as he could

"So stay beautiful, stay strong like the wonderful Sakura trees you showed me"

At this he kissed her once on her lips and once on her forehead.

Sakura smiled

"Then I will wait and whatever you decide, I will smile when you return no matter what you have to say"

At this Naruto gave her his biggest smile "Then see ya Sakura-chan!"

She laughed a bit and watched him as he went southwards in search of a worthy goal…

**AN: Done! That also took me longer than I expected.**

**For "uhm of ohm" - (anonymous reviewer) I am truly sorry if my story didn't met your standards or if there are some details that are a bit hard to grasp, but as I said this is my first story ever, as I warned several times in the summary and the prologue.**

**Also it would be nice if your reviews seemed more serious rather than insults to my intelligence or writing skills, I am new to this and though I want criticism, I expected helpful criticism not just pointing how dumb I am.**

**You reviewed only the first chapter, so don't expect me to give all the secrets and all the reasons for the setting and the story overall, from chapter one! And I am trying to write my own original stuff so don't use the manga to criticize me.**

**Lastly it takes certain amount of courage, a good idea, and time to write this stuff so if you don´t have anything helpful to say don't bother reviewing again or any other story for that matter**

**Rant done, let's move on.**

**The next chapter(s) will be Naruto staying for a few days with the Nara, Akimichi and Yamanaka clans, why? You'll see.**

**I am still waiting for at least one person to tell me which major clan will Naruto visit next, you have until next chapter to tell me so vote people!**

**Seeing that not everyone is nice out there, any future reviews please make them in a respectful tone if you have any criticism so be it but also give advice if you can, I really want to be like the great authors I have seen at this site and that inspired me to start writing after years of doubt.**

**Thanks a million for reading and please review more often.**


	10. InoShikaCho!

**Chapter 9: Ino-Shika-Cho!**

**Quick An: This chapter is for relaxation and information, enjoy**

"Man, I can't believe it!" "I am lost again and in a stupid forest! Again!"

Indeed Naruto got lost in forest once more after 2 days of traveling south from the Senju territory. Yamato had explained that a major crossroads stood 3 days of ninja travelling to the south and from there he could decide which place to visit next; he also said it was impossible to miss…

"Now I know the World has it against me! And this forest is just creepy the trees are far more smaller than the ones in Senju but this one's have branches that spread out like hundreds of creepy fingers reaching to cross whatever light comes through!"

Naruto was trembling after this realization, the forest was indeed different from the Senju were trees reached high into the sky but still allowed a healthy amount of light to reach the ground, this forest had far smaller trees with hundreds of thin branches sprouting from them making impossible to jump between them or climb the trees to the top. The forest was lighted with a very thin layer of light that made the forest cast a wide array of dancing shadows everywhere, not to mention that for some reason the forest was eerily quiet; barely any sound besides his footsteps could be heard, no birds chirping, no squirrels climbing or going about, only the wind moving the top of the trees and the dancing shadows they casted.

As Naruto walked he started to feel more and more nervous about the forest, it was already difficult to navigate without seeing the sun but all the shadows made him feel like falling in a maze and more recently like being watched by dozens of eyes that moved with the shadows as not to be seen. Naruto could swear that there was something else lurking in the shadows and as he walked he could almost hear other steps on the ground but only lighter and swifter, not heavy or tired like his actual pace.

Naruto decided to be on guard just in case since as his father explained, some places in the world hid creatures as big and mighty as the boss toad himself; but he wouldn't be so nervous if only he could see whatever was watching him!

Hearing another light step and a moving shadow, Naruto screamed "That's it, whoever or whatever is hiding, you better come out or I will make you!" hearing no response Naruto made a few hand signs.

"Wind burst Jutsu!" He inhaled a lot of wind and expelled it as a powerful gust towards a wide area of trees ahead of him. The trees agitated violently making the shadows to move wildly and forcing Naruto's stalker to jump out of the way.

Before Naruto stood a magnificent male deer with large antlers whose points were as intricate as the tree's branches. Naruto relieved to see it was only a harmless animal, spoke "Whew, you really scared me back there, if you wanted some food you should have come forward but I don't have much to spare anyway"

The deer didn't move at all and just kept staring intensely at Naruto who in turn just felt a bit intimidated by such stare and just started walking away heading south (or he thought). As he marched he noticed the deer was now openly following him without concealing itself.

Naruto feeling weird just accelerated his march hoping the deer would lose interest in him soon enough; to his grimace another deer apparently joined the "persecution" and now had two walking as fast as he was behind him.

Naruto just turned around and increased his speed once more, and once more another deer joined the other two in his trail.

Naruto now started to panic as this wasn't any animal's natural behavior and as another 3 deer's joined the stalking he had a terrifying thought (a ridiculous one actually) and if this particular race of deer's were man eating animals disguised as harmless forest creatures.

When he stopped his reasoning, Naruto noticed he was now completely surrounded by deer's and his escape routes were closed; he was quickly freaking out but what made him snap was when the shadows beneath the deer's started to expand and move in his direction.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH, magic man eating deer's!"

At this knowing he was in a closing trap, he made a small Rasengan and jumped straight up crushing all the branches in his way as he managed to get to the tree tops were he quickly started jumping to the south now knowing the Sun's position.

As he moved at neck breaking speed he noticed the forest's end and a clear grassland valley ahead, where he thought it would be safe.

"Hah, you won't have dinner tonight evil deer's!" screamed and now relaxed Naruto to the forest as he turned to the valley and started walking southwards once more.

As he made his merry way, he noticed in the distance a shape coming his way; it was a man running with large leaps in his direction.

"Great! Now I can ask for directions, I shouldn't be far but those deer's might have derailed me from course"

He started waving his hand to greet the running man who was coming straight in his direction; but noticed something was off with the running man, he was very far from him yet he could see him quite clearly.

At this he noticed that his image was becoming larger and larger and the ground started to rumble with each step the running man gave in his direction. When the man stepped over a large bush on the valley he noticed his size. A 2 store high giant was running in his direction and apparently with the intention to grind him into dust.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH, A GIANT!"

Naruto once more started running southwards dodging the giant's sweeping hand as it tried to grab him, said giant screamed something at him but he was terrorized an couldn't comprehend it.

He ran as fast as he could but the giant's larger leaps were cutting distance quickly so thinking in a technique to help him evade him in such a wide valley with little obstacles, he used his favorite

"Shadow clone Jutsu!" At this dozens of Narutos dispersed in several directions effectively confusing the giant.

As Naruto kept running while looking at the giant chasing several of his clones he suddenly felt the ground disappear from under his feet. He fell rolling down a large flowerbed that was invisible for it was concealed as a lower level on the valley he was running.

He went screaming down the flowerbed as he was slowing down until he finally stopped and his head landed on something soft.

Naruto was really dizzy, mentally exhausted over the past impossible things he saw and now he was watching another one; a beautiful maiden of long platinum blond hair and pale blue eyes was looking down on him, with a confused look.

Naruto took a deep breath as the scent of the flowers calmed his nerves greatly; looking up again still looking up to the maiden he spoke tiredly like a child explaining a dream he just had.

"Just now a bunch of magical deer's were chasing me through the forest to eat me and when I escaped a big fat Giant was running towards me and started to chase me trying to crush me but I outsmarted him and then fell on thousands of flowers and, and I found a Nymph in the middle of them and now, and now I am very sleepy…and…"

Naruto was starting to fall asleep quickly as his Nymph smiled above him and hush him telling him to take a nap and rest after such crazy adventures.

"Now, now, don't you want to sleep brave traveler? In your dreams those awful deer's and giants won't harm you"

Naruto finally closing his eyes recognized acknowledged her point "You are right, they will never reach me there, promise you will watch over me?"

"Of course, I will be there when you wake up, now rest" said the Nymph as she stroke his cheek

Naruto finally closed his eyes and was deeply asleep.

"He he, he is adorable, shame he is an intruder" "As for you two, it seems it takes a woman to do your jobs!"

"Yeah yeah, I never expected him to crush through the shadow vale branches in such manner; it was out from my strategy…stop being so noisy about it"

"Sorry Ino! But he suddenly divided into dozens and went everywhere!"

"Humph, excuses is all I hear, well lucky you guys I am always around!" said the nymph as she closed a small vial of sleeping scent that she poured over Naruto when he fell on her lap.

"Troublesome"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Mmm, mmm, uhm?" "Ah!" "Uh?"

Naruto was finally awake and once again in a structure he didn't recognized but became very nervous when he realized he couldn't see his body anywhere; he was trapped in what looked like a small white pedestal and the only thing above was his head.

But being Naruto and the fact that he couldn't feel the rest of his body, he freaked out and started screaming.

"Noooo, now how I am supposed to reach a worthy goal if am a freaking altar!" screamed Naruto as he was starting to cry upon his desperate situation.

He was already crying and screaming when four figures entered the room.

"Will you tone it down? You are hurting my ears!" "Why were we chosen to interrogate him, anyway? Isn't that your dad's work?"

"Shut it! This is my first interrogatory and you two should learn how to perform them as well, seeing how you guarded the border you need all the training possible!" "Right Daddy?"

"Of course princess, I am only here to oversee things and make sure nothing goes wrong"

Naruto managed to spare a glance to the walking figures; one was an average young man around his age with what looked like a pineapple hair do, wearing grey ninja pants, black sandals, a fish net shirt under a light grey jacket with a various pockets, he also had a couple of silver earrings and black wristbands.

Next to said boy was a larger chubby man, also around his age with a dark red robe with several armor pieces attached to them, black sandals and dark red pants; he also sported silver earrings, had a couple of orange spirals on his cheeks and mid long spiky brown hair.

Naruto's face recognized him as the giant that was chasing him on the valley but seeing him as an average sized person remained quiet and wondered if he had imagined things.

From behind them a middle aged man with long platinum hair and pale blue eyes was walking his way, he sported a deep purple long coat with a golden symbol on his right arm, underneath he had a simple black shirt, pants and sandals. The hair and the eyes reminded him of something nice like a good dream he had but couldn't place.

As he came directly in front of him he noticed a young woman coming from one side, she had waist long platinum hair and those peculiar pale blue eyes, she had light pink lipstick, little make up overall, her hair in a simple ponytail, the same silver earrings the other two had, a deep purple top that showed quite nicely her chest, a small jacket of a lighter purple, she also had a purple tight mini skirt over black tight shorts, black high heeled sandals and long black stockings.

Upon seeing her he recognized her as the nymph that led him to dream world and upon deeper thought brought him here and placed him in this situation, suddenly she didn't seemed nice anymore.

The entire group finally made way to where Naruto was confined, Ino was the first to step up in front of him but upon seeing her he just turned his head looking in another direction with a childish scowl. His actions took them all by surprise; usually a prisoner was defiant at first and always tried to stare down their interrogators.

Since this was Ino's first interrogation she just calmed herself and again stepped in front of the prisoner who just turned his head again refusing to acknowledge her; she misunderstood his actions as an insult because she was a young girl.

Her partners glanced to each other as Ino kept trying to gain his attention, they knew how short her temper was and could explode any second now, nodding they took a couple of steps back from her as Naruto just kept turning his head ignoring her.

At last Ino lost all composure and grabbed Naruto's head and forcefully turned it her way "Stop ignoring me you idiot!" "You are in deep trouble as it is so don't make it worse by making me angry, you seriously don't want me angry!"

"Naruto recognized she wasn't joking and the more he examined her (check her out) she looked like a kunoichi"

Lastly Naruto opened his eyes to stare into Ino's and mumbled a few words "You are mean"

Her partners couldn't believe he actually said that, he was so dead.

Ino not believing her ears screamed back "WHAT!" "HOW COME I AM MEAN, I AM THE MOST GRACIOUS LADY OF THE YAMANAKA!"

Naruto just responded "You promised you would be there when I wake up, and instead I am trapped here and now you are screaming to me, you lied and you're were mean"

Ino let go his head and took a step back, she actually had promised in a way at least to do so; she looked back to her father who was just watching but wouldn't intervene, this was her interrogatory and she would do it right or wrong with no help.

Ino calmed herself and decided to play it nice, her fellow blonde acted more like an innocent child than a harmful intruder.

"Ok, yeah so I lied but you do know we are ninja and lies are part of the trade so don't take it too personal"

"Hmph, I never thought you were ninja, you looked like a nymph in the middle of those flowers and you seemed very nice"

Ino's cheeks colored a little, not every day a handsome man compares you to such mythical creatures, but glancing at her father she straightened up and continued.

"Look if it means something I am sorry I lied to you but you are obviously a ninja and you intruded our territory illegally, you can't expect us to believe your intentions were good"

Naruto agreed on that, once again he got lost and was hauled to the nearest ninja village.

In a tiny voice he replied "I got lost"

Ino couldn't believe her ears, "You got lost!" "That has to be the lamest lie I have heard"

Naruto looked a bit offended and embarrassed

Ino corrected herself, playing the good cop worked before with him.

"Ok, let's say I believe you, how it happened?"

"Well I was coming from the north and I was told a great crossroads stood three days away heading straight south, that it was impossible to miss it"

"North? By any chance you come from the Senju forest?"

"Yeah! I spent almost a month and a half there with their ninja and all!"

Ino thought of a certain someone living up there (you know who) but dismissed it as she proceeded with her interrogation.

"Then you are a member of the Senju clan?" "How odd of them to get lost and specially in a forest"

"You are wrong I don't belong to the Senju, I am Sage from Myoboku"

At this revelation all four stared at him

"S-Sage? You mean like the sages of unbelievable skill, wisdom and power?""You have to be joking; no way would a Sage be so dumb to don't follow the road to the gates of our lands"

Naruto blushed a little "Well it's only that they told me to head straight south and I would be at the crossroads in 3 days, when the road turned west I thought that the crossroads was further south and so I pushed onwards"

"And you didn't felt something was amiss when you got yourself in a forest?"

"Yeah but that was how I met the Senju, I got lost in their forest, I fell unconscious and they brought me to Green Keep"

All four couldn't believe his story, it sounded so impossible for someone this dumb to exist.

"Well if you are a Sage how come you don't know the land, aren't they travelers?"

"The thing is that my father just kicked me away from the mountain and told me to go explore the world, no map, no indications, just go ahead and do your best"

The four now understood a little how he ended being so clueless, isolation isn't good and little advice just make it worse.

"So let me get this straight, you are a Sage, you are clueless about navigating, you sincerely got lost in your journey and you mean no harm or lie?"

"You make it sound a bit simple but yeah, that's how it is"

Ino turned to her dad who seemed disappointed "Ino you forgot a very important question, what was his name, you start every interrogation asking their names to start gauging their personal patterns to see what is truth and what is a lie; you allowed this young man to get you angry while he kept a playful manner all the time"

Ino bowed her head in shame, indeed this guy got on her nerves quickly but as an expert interrogator she could never allow herself to lose her straight face and focus on the answers.

Ino then asked "Father I am sorry for that, seeing that everything he just told us might be a lie, may I use our family Jutsu?"

At this Naruto had a very bad feeling, they were considering using a Jutsu on him and one to bring out answers.

"HEY! I am Naruto!" "There you don't have to use anything on me I swear I am saying the truth, if you let me out of this thing I can show you!"

This only worked against him since now he seemed really nervous about a Jutsu that brings answers by force.

Inoichi agreed to his daughter's request and gave her permission to use the Mind walking Jutsu (Not the same as soul transfer)

Ino then stepped up in front of Naruto and made several hand signs; she placed a hand on a squirming Naruto who was begging her to don't do it.

**Naruto's mindscape**

Ino quickly descended on a huge jungle filled of colors that seemed a bit off for the plants and waterfalls there.

"Strange mind, most people have more complicated structures, his looks of someone who never had the need to lie or keep information from anyone"

As she moved on she could notice the first glances of his memories ingrained in different plants o rocks, every time she touched one she could see pictures and sounds of that particular memory, since it would require her more time to fully access those memories.

The first memory she decided to look at was a Huge Stone Toad standing in the middle of a pond, she walked over the pond with a smile remembering the first time she walked inside someone's mind; the moment she touched the statute images of a strange place filled with toads and a small blonde boy running around filled her vision, lifting stones, laughing with a white haired man, jumping over trees and lastly a younger Naruto entering into sage mode, she could almost feel the power of the mode.

"Well, he was saying the truth he is a Sage trained by another Sage and a bunch of disgusting toads"

"Now let's see where he came from…" Ino kept wandering looking for a more recent memory, so far everything in his mind was random.

Finally she found something that was clearly an indication of the Senju, one of its magnificent trees, standing tall and reaching high to the sky, the tree itself was surrounded by red roses, white lilies and several vines with thorns.

"Mmm, he had quite some memories with them, the roses mean romance or strong friendship, the lilies means loss and those vines means something bad an painful happened."

Ino needed to be more careful since the freshness of the memories made them quite intense.

"Ok, let's begin with the tree itself" as she touched the tree images of Green Keep rose to her mind, the faces of Yamato and Nawaki the leaders of Senju, the smiling faces of Sakura and Tsunade during their city stroll, the academy and all the kids amazed of seeing a Sage in person, when the Senju said farewell and sent him off.

"Well it seems he is innocent, he is just a lost wanderer" "I am glad, he is handsome and seems like a decent guy, even though he is friends with Billboard brow…"(yeah they know each other)

"Now that that is out of the way, let's learn a bit more about Naruto" said a giggling Ino as she approached the white lilies.

As she touched them she could see the energetic and smiling Riku and right next to it her untimely decease, the memory was so strong that she could feel the grief and the despair of Naruto; the real Ino let out a small tear that went unnoticed by the others.

"Wow, he was really pained, must be the first time he saw someone die, not to mention a friend"

"Let's go and watch what those vines hide I will save those roses for last"

Ino touched the vine and images of something similar to a boat appeared in his mind, there he was standing along Sakura and Tsunade while observing a dark haired lady slowly opening her eyes to reveal a Sharingan; she could feel the confusion and the despair brought by the powerful illusions of the Sharingan, and by the time the Uchiha was going to finish his torture the immense rage Naruto felt, the red coloring and then the darkness.

"What was that, such anger and rage, not even a maddened Inuzuka would match that level of rage" "Anyway he faced an Uchiha and is still breathing, you are most impressive Naruto"

"Now the best part, the roses I wonder what kind of romantic experiences does an isolated boy can have?"

As Ino touched the roses she almost dropped to her knees, the immense passion, the need, the pleasure, the joy; all in one burst she could see he have had sex with both Sakura and Tsunade several times, and upon returning to the city he made love all night to Sakura.

The Ino in the real world blushed a little and panted very lightly without calling the attention of the others, since such reactions to memories were normal in rookies of the Yamanaka.

"Wow! Didn't see that coming; Can't believe he scored two women for his first time but who these women were, the Senju princess and her terrifying apprentice"

"Can't believe Sakura managed to land such a hottie……wait a moment!" "That means she is no longer a virgin!" "That means she is ahead of me in the romance department!"

"No way is she going to be ahead of me!" "NO FUCKING WAY!"

As Ino was ranting she stumbled across a large gash on the ground of Naruto's mindscape, it looked like a monumental beast left a claw mark near the tree of Naruto's memories of the Senju.

Ino saw that the mark itself was already covered with grass and other plants of Naruto's memories, but that mark would remain there; for Ino these kind of marks are signs of a case of multiple personality disorder produced by trauma, but quickly dismissed the idea given Naruto's memories and young age, maybe it was a byproduct of the Sage training, after all not many knew the secrets a Sage could hold.

Once Ino returned to reality she cleared Naruto of all suspicion and explained his trespassing as nothing more than lack of experience on the field and a bad sense of orientation.

Ino was the first to apologize for the rude manners and for intruding his mind without his approval but the safety of her people was more important than making friends.

Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi and Inoichi Yamanaka also introduced themselves to the young Sage and offered him their apologies as well as a welcoming to their lands.

Inoichi had left the youngsters to do some paperwork on the new arrival and inform the other clan leaders of their most recent visitor; surely they would like to meet the new Sage of Myoboku later.

Naruto finally dressed himself and set out to explore whatever city he was into now, but as he was leaving the interrogation headquarters Ino offered herself to escort him along with her two friends (more like force them to).

Once outside Naruto appreciated the city and finally the place where he ended up this time; before him the city of "Three Peaks" (weird name I know), the city was very different to Green Keep; The city's buildings and households had volcanic stone foundations making their lower levels jet black, while the rest of the construction was painted in different colors according to the three clans inhabiting the valley.

Shikamaru explained that the valley was actually the gigantic mouth of an ancient extinct volcano that exploded and destroyed itself thousands of years ago leaving a fertile valley in its place (like Yellowstone); the valley was surrounded by a mountain wall that was divided in 3 sections and a wide opening to the north. The concealed valley happened to be at the very center of the Land of Fire and was a crucial crossroads for merchants, travelers and ninja on journey or mission.

The Nara, Akimichi and Yamanaka clans had arrive to the valley several generations ago and as soon as they were established began battling for control of the easily defendable valley; they didn't joined forces until a large Uchiha invasion (such jerks!) tried to take over the valley forcing the once divided clans to fight as one and effectively stop the invasion. After the battle was over and disaster averted, the three ancient leaders made an oath of brotherhood and promised to stand together against all foes to the very end.

They had a good laugh as Naruto was crying over something as wonderful as making friends on the face of adversity; secretly he really desired for such oaths to happen more often.

As the day finally came to an end Naruto asked the trio for a place where he could stay for the night. Ino jumped immediately at the chance to invite a boy over but Shikamaru ended offering a place at his home since it would be too troublesome to explain Naruto why it was bad idea to sleep at Ino's.

Waving each other good bye Naruto and Shikamaru headed over to the Nara sector of the city. Tomorrow would be a new day and perhaps find advice on which direction take form this point forward.

**AN: Ok, that was short and kind of lame, the main point of this chapter is to have time to decide on which major clan will he visit next in the Land of Fire**** and prepare accordingly.**

**Next chapter will have lessons from all 3 members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio for Naruto, his final decision on which path to take and as promised a Lemon, we can't have Sakura hogging all the fun right?**

**Remember to vote on which clan will Naruto visit next; the current options are Uchiha, Hyuga and Sarutobi. With Uchiha leading the race with one vote.**

**Naruto will visit them all before leaving the Land of Fire, and you will decide in what order so vote!**

**Read and please Review.**


	11. Strategy, Laughter and Flowers

**Chapter 10: Strategy, Laughter and Flowers**

As Naruto and Shikamaru were heading home the later had many questions about Naruto's presence, what is a Sage doing there? What was he looking for? Why traveling and visiting different clans? Shikamaru was aware of the Sage's great power and skill and was always told that no Sage ever left their homes without a good reason.

Yet Naruto seemed to confuse him, for a Sage he looked like he couldn't keep a secret for long and though his power was evident, in the way he broke through the Shadow Vale branches with ease, he actually believed mythical creatures were trying to get him.

"Say Naruto had you ever left your home before?"

"Nop, my father just picked me up one day, gave me this pack and kicked me out from Myoboku saying to go explore the world and make any dream of mine come true"

"Wow, can't see my dad kicking me out like that, well my mom would but probably tell me to don't come back unless I bring a wife or something…troublesome"

Naruto was staring at him with a confused look.

"What? It's rude to stare at people!"

"You said your mom, what is a mom?"

Shikamaru couldn't believe his ears he actually didn't knew what a mom was?

"Well my Mom is the person who married my dad and gave birth to me, she is tough, bossy and screams a lot but sometimes my dad says she is gentle and caring in her own way"

"Your father must have gotten married at some point and your mother gave birth to you, don't you know your mother?"

"Well no, at least not my human one now that you mention it I only had Ma-chan, and she is a toad from Myoboku"

"Father always spoke of meeting many women but never spoke of anyone in particular, he claims to be a Super pervert"

Shikamaru tripped over that piece of information, so probably his mom was one of the many his father slept with and gave him away, sad but at least he took responsibility.

"Don't sweat it, you came along just fine I think"

"You think? Thanks! It means a lot coming from someone with a mother!"

Shikamaru felt horrible but at least he seemed joyful all the time so perhaps his upbringing was for the best.

The two youngsters finally reached Shikamaru's home were Naruto was terrified to find deer's similar to those on the forest; Shikamaru calmed him down saying that those deer's were specially trained to act as sentinels and help the border guards keep the northern forest clear form intruders. He also took the chance to explain that the Shadow Vale trees were also part of the defenses since its short height and intricate branches made them impossible to navigate quickly and kept any intruder on the ground.

Naruto finally calmed down but always kept an eye on the deer's, he would never trust one of those in his life.

As they entered the large house, Shikamaru's mother was immediately in front of Shikamaru screaming.

"There you are you lazy bum, your shift in the border ended 7 hours ago and you promised you would help training the new deer's with your father!"

"Mind telling me where were you the whole day!"

"During patrol and intruder tried to trespass, me Ino and Chouji captured him and brought him for questioning…"

"Yeah sure like someone was so dumb to actually enter the northern border and get so further inside so you needed help from those two"

Naruto seeing that his new found friend was apparently getting in trouble because of him decided to help out.

"Actually ma'am it's true, you see I am the intruder" said a sheepish Naruto.

At this she grabbed a crossbow from under a table and fired at Naruto who managed to catch it while sweating bullets

"Mom! He just got lost in the northern forest, he is foreign to the Land of Fire and got scared up there and since he is too skilled it took us a time to catch him.

Once hearing the story, said lady reloaded the cross bow and hid it once again and smiling said "Oops my bad!"

Naruto still holding the bolt was very afraid of said woman, are all moms are this scary?

"Forgive her she just let the situation get to her head quickly" Naruto nodded but still very uncertain

"Anyway Mom, this is Naruto and as apology for the inconveniences I invited him over to stay for the night, you don't mind right?

"But of course Shikamaru! It's been so long since you brought friends to spend the night"

"By the way I am Yoshino Nara, mom to this lazy bum and wife to an even greater one"

She bowed as she said this and excused herself to make dinner.

Naruto for some reason felt more at ease when she introduced herself and talked about her son and husband, she insulted them but at the same time felt as if she really loved them.

"Moms are weird"

"Tell me about it"

Once dinner was over and Naruto had explained who he was and where he came from, Yoshino was very glad she got the chance to meet a Sage and begged him to implement some Jutsu on her son to make him less lazy and get a girlfriend already. Naruto and Shikamaru headed over to take a rest for the night; Naruto appreciated the kindness and headed over to his assigned room he noticed that Yoshino came to Shikamaru's room and gave him a kiss on his cheek and hugged him.

Naruto smiled and thought that having a mom must be nice sometimes.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Next morning Naruto went early down stairs and noticed the large yard that had several training targets and posts, it has been a while since the last time he trained so taking the chance decided to give it a try, he hoped they wouldn't mind.

When Shikamaru woke up after his mother's scolding to get down for breakfast both heard a noise coming from the training yard; as they got there they were shocked to see several shirtless Narutos spread out the yard practicing different things, two were on target practice, two were in hand to hand combat, two were sparing with his tri-kunai, two were practicing wind and water elemental jutsus and one was sitting meditating.

When the one meditating noticed the new arrivals all the clones stopped and dispelled themselves.

Shikamaru and Yoshino were beyond surprised, they heard of the Sages skill but to train so many arts at the same time was mind blowing not to mention the chakra requirements needed for such training.

"He, sorry for the ruckus but it has been a while since I last trained properly and your yard was begging for me to use it; hope you don't mind"

Both Naras only nodded still amazed that a young person could have such skills, indeed looks can be deceiving.

After breakfast Shikamaru realized he needed to learn more of the young Sage so he decided to get him into one of his favorite activities besides sleeping or cloud gazing, chess (I know it's shogi but I know squat about it so bear with me)

Naruto was excited, he had never played something with another person besides Jiraiya, and being chased down for survival training hardly qualifies as a game.

As they seated Naruto was a bit disappointed they wouldn't be outside playing like he thought they would but the chessboard and the little figurines quickly caught back his attention.

Shikamaru anticipated Naruto to not know what chess was so he took time (rather a long time) to explain him the rules and finally begin their game, he would go easy on him since this was an information gathering exercise.

"So Naruto the main point in this game is strategy, as I explained before every piece on the board has different movement ranges and functions, given their position you can eliminate other pieces, the main goal here is to take out the adversary's king or leave it without chance to escape, in the end that is the only way to win"

"Ok, I think I understand let's give it a try!"

Naruto started the game moving a pawn when Shikamaru started to make conversation.

"Say Naruto, you said your father told you to find a dream and make it true, have you found what that dream is?"

As Naruto made another move he answered

"Not sure yet, I mean I have been in this lands for little time and though a lot has happened I am still not clear on what could I achieve"

"Given your strength and skill making your dream true shouldn't be too difficult"

"Don't think so, maybe I am strong but I am still very inexperienced and that has brought me a lot of pain before…"

Shikamaru noticed his sudden change in mood

"Would like to tell me?"

"Well on my first real ninja mission a young partner died and I believe it was my fault because I didn't followed my instructions to the letter out of fear and doubt, this gave the enemy a chance and she is now dead because of me"

"Well we are taught to expect the unexpected in missions, anything could have gone wrong you can't cast blame upon yourself for that incident"

"If I had followed my instructions to the letter there wouldn't have been need to worry, I failed her and all she wanted was to live peacefully among the forests"

"I made one of my priorities to stop such tragedies whenever I could but I see the ninja world is filled with lots of things I don't grasp well yet"

"So basically you want people to stop killing each other, sounds nice but not everyone wishes that you know?"

"Some people desire conquest, others glory and fame, others do it for vengeance and quite many for the sick pleasure of it" "There are as many motivators as people on the ninja clans"

"I know that, I have met several ninja so far and they are radically different, some are direct (Sakura) and others are quite clever and subtle (Kitara)"

"But never the less I don't want tragedies like Riku's to happen again"

Shikamaru nodded convinced of this, so he decided to give some insight

"Ok Naruto consider that goal as your definitive victory in this game, you are the king in his quest for victory but you are not being plunged against one opponent but many in this board, all of them playing against you and each other and with full sets of pieces at their disposal, from your perspective and having explained the rules, what would your strategy be to even begin your game?"

Naruto considered it, one against many that at the same time are against each other.

"The only way I see it from my perspective is to defeat them all one by one"

Shikamaru nodded moving another piece

"A simple sound plan, but you are only one, in time they will overwhelm you or perhaps they will use your victories to crush the other adversaries; that would only cause more loss of pieces since not all players are equally skilled"

"What pieces?"

"The pieces represent, the ninja, the civilians, the scouts, the assassins, and the leaders a clan possesses; the more you play the more you lose"

Shikamaru nodded to the discarded pieces at one side of the board.

Naruto stopped and stared at the pieces, indeed those were the battle pieces he has been using, and he had already lost quite a number of them, in the ninja clan point of view those discarded pieces were the ninja that perished in battle at their clan's service, Riku was one of them.

Shikamaru saw that Naruto's will to continue playing faltered so he stopped playing and gave his advice.

"Whatever your dream turns out to be Naruto remember that sacrifice is necessary, victory as all things worth in this life demands sacrifice and the will to don't stop until you achieve it"

Naruto seemed depressed over the fact that whatever his dream would be, in the end a lot of sacrifices would be needed.

Shikamaru placed a hand on his shoulder

"Still, your wish of stopping the tragedies seems very nice, if you ever realize how to do it, count me in, it would be nice to have more time to watch the clouds without worrying about the next war coming up"

Naruto smiled at this, he was the first person to believe in his dream even if it didn't have shape yet.

"Shikamaru, why do you believe that I could ever achieve my dream?"

"You were raised away from all this world, you see our ways in a very different light, perhaps that gives you the chance to change them for good, and your power as a Sage gives you a great advantage already"

Smiling even more he just said "Thanks buddy!"

"No problem, just make sure you device a good plan, I don't want to die needlessly"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Outside the Nara main household Chouji had been curious about the Sage, he was told that they hold all kinds of wisdom; perhaps he could give some advice on certain "issues".

"Hey Shikamaru stop hogging the Sage all for yourself you have border duty again so I will escort him the rest of the day"

Both Naruto and Shikamaru came to greet the large youngster, Shikamaru gave one piece of advice to Naruto, "Unless you want to know a new definition of pain you won't call him Fat or Fatty, not even by accident; he (and his family for that matter) is too sensitive about it"

Naruto nodded and waved good bye to Shikamaru and started walking with Chouji. They travelled a good distance through the city while Naruto admired the craftsmanship of the buildings they looked really strong with those cool volcanic rock foundations

"Yeah my ancestors built them when they first settled in the valley, thanks to our special Jutsu that allows us to enlarge our body parts or entire bodies if needed, moving heavy object was a breeze, that's how we fortified the valley"

"Wow must have been incredible to watch all those giants moving boulders all day long"

"Sure have been"

"One question though, not all ninja clans seems to get along nicely actually they look like they are more willing to kill each other, how come 3 ninja clans share the same land and city?"

"Oh that's one of my favorite stories, you see according to legend my people came from the northwest a long time ago after a drought left them with no choice but to move, they travelled far and long to the south until they found the western entrance of the valley here in the Land of Fire and started settling, we thought that the valley had an excellent defendable position so that the entire valley would belong to us"

"But apparently we had arrived to the valley just a few months later after the Yamanakas and the northern forest in which you got lost was already inhabited by the Naras; soon after our clans started to fight for control of the entire valley, but our differences in ability and fighting style made us end up in a stalemate with no clear victor"

"Some years after the fighting began a large invasion force launched by the Uchiha advanced into the valley, the Uchiha and their alleys proved to be too many and ruthless for a single clan to contain so facing certain annihilation and the loss of our newfound homes, Shikamaru's, Ino's and my own ancestors made a pact to fight back together the Uchiha; losses were terrible but victory was ours in the end"

"Our ancestors then realized that we were in the middle of great powers in the Land of Fire and our position was very strategic, continued infighting would only guarantee our destruction; so they made an oath of brotherhood to forever stand united and protect this wonderful valley"

"We built the three great gates and walls standing on the entrances of the Valley, The Yamanakas designed the city and other settlements and the Nara designed our battle strategies and kept guarding the northern forest"

"Ever since we live peacefully among each other and stand strong even if our numbers pale in the face of other clans"

Naruto had tears on his eyes once again and told Chouji that that's how the entire world should be.

Chouji agreed but then again reality was much harsher, he knew that clans like the Hyuga and the Uchiha would never join hands and ride into the sunset, too much bad blood for such petty things.

Chouji decided to give Naruto one of his most valued life experiences, the joy of food and meanwhile ask everything he could; his dad always said to listen to the more experienced people and a Sage must be experienced in many things.

"Hey Naruto would you like something for lunch, my mom owns a small BBQ restaurant and it's the world's best food you will come to get ever!"

Naruto always got hungry after a good workout so he quickly agreed to go.

On the path to the restaurant they came across a large construction area were a new sector of the city was being built, a large tower was being built as this new sector was facing north were the most weakened border was. As they passed on of the levers carrying large granite blocks to the summit broke and left the cargo to fall down straight towards a group of workers who wouldn't escape in time.

Chouji tried to transform as quickly as he could but Naruto beat him to it, his speed was insane and had a blue sphere in each hand as he quickly connected both spheres to the boulders that became rock dust in an instant.

Everyone was shocked, especially Chouji who clearly underestimated a Sage's power, with only two hands he pulverized two large granite blocks in seconds; he realized that if Naruto had decided to fight him on the valley he would have had a similar fate.

Naruto checked everyone to see if they were ok, all he got were quick nods from astonished workers, but the dense atmosphere quickly dissolved when Naruto's belly decided to declare its demands.

No one laughed until Naruto started laughing himself, he had scary powers but clearly had a good heart, Chouji definitively thought of him as a good friend candidate for him and the people of Three Peaks.

After the incident Chouji and Naruto finally arrived to the BBQ restaurant, it was easily one of the largest buildings in the city though Chouji said it was small.

They were greeted by Choza Akimichi, Chouji's father and currently one of the valley's triumvir's leaders, and his wife Chisa who also happened to be the main chef.

Several Akimichi sat along Naruto and Chouji as they waited for their orders to be served.

"So Naruto my boy tells me you came from the Senju forest, did those "tree huggers" treated you well?" asked Choza

Naruto remembering his experiences, and particularly how well Tsunade and Sakura treated him, answered while blushing a little

"Well I don't have complains and were quite friendly"

Every Akimichi knew what that blushing meant and started laughing as hard as they could.

"Seems the young Sage is stuff of all kind of legends, HA HA HA!" "So tell us boy who did you scored with, you are among men so no worries!"

"Ah, I rather not answer that one, father said it's rude to presume your conquests (though he did all the time)"

"Aw common boy it's not like you actually bedded Tsunade Senju!"

At this Naruto went completely red

All the Akimichi and the whole restaurant went mute; the boy had actually managed to pull a miracle!

Breaking the weird silence Choza spoke up "Well seems like this age was blessed with a Sage that performs miracles!" "A toast for the greatest MAN to ever visit us! CHEERS!"

Everyone cheered and continued eating, after all most of the patrons were men and knew that if this got out the young sage's life would be a short one, women would gossip about it though.

Finally the food was brought before them; entire racks of meat were present and the grills to cook them were boiling.

"Naruto thought the food looked a bit uncooked but Chouji taught him how to prepare the food; Naruto was ecstatic and soon was eating at the same pace as the other Akimichi, to say the Sage was impressive was an understatement, it seemed like nothing was away from his reach or skill, even eating."

As the food was running out a tense moment arrived when the Akimichi stared at the last piece of food left, the sacred last piece!

All the Akimichi stared at each other waiting for the first move to be made, meanwhile Naruto wondered what was the issue as everyone got serious, he didn't minded though and proceeded to take the last bite, he didn't knew when he would eat this good again so he hoped they wouldn't mind (If you had a god watching over you, he clearly closed his eyes for a second)

"Ah, that was absolutely the best meal I have had in a while, thanks Chouji it was great…" Naruto realized he was being watched by every Akimichi and patron in the restaurant, he also noticed Chouji's mom signaling him to leave as soon as possible.

"How could you! The last piece of food is the most delicious one, it was meant to me!"

"Sorry son but as father and leader it was my honor"

"Hey Choza, on off duty we are all equals!"

And so the quarreling soon began into a brawl as every Akimichi jumped on each other discussing who had the right to eat the last piece. Chisa took Naruto away in time before getting pounded

"Sorry dear but they will be at it for a while; I hope you enjoyed your meal and wish you a good night"

Naruto quickly stepped out from the restaurant as a Nara was launched through a window and quickly returned into the restaurant, apparently the Nara and Yamanaka patrons also entered the brawl; he could watch that though they were fighting must of the people had a smile on their faces, like good brothers a good fight every now and then helped cement their bonds.

He smiled as night began to fall on the city, he decided to take a small stroll before returning to Shikamaru's place after all he wouldn't be back until late.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

As Naruto walked slowly enjoying the views from the city, he noticed he had entered a different sector of the city, quickly the scent of flowers reached him as most of the buildings had white and purple colorings along with some golden lines. Buildings here were more refined than those in the Akimichi sector though also had the volcanic stone foundations.

Every building had flowers on pots or their roofs; he thought Sakura would like to take a walk around here.

The people on this sector were mostly of platinum blonde hair like Ino and had pale eyes of different colors; their constitutions seemed slimmer than that of the Akimichi and smoother than that of the Nara.

As he continued enjoying the sights a couple of hands snaked behind him and grabbed him by the waist. Naruto freaked out and jumped up on to a light post.

"Ha Ha Ha, who would have thought a Sage could be scared so easily" said a now giggling Ino as Naruto descended.

"That wasn't nice you know? Especially after the mind probing thing" said a pouting Naruto

"You are still upset about that? All I did was watch your most recent memories I didn't went deeper than that"

"Still that is an invasion of my privacy, what if I had a really private memory I didn't needed anyone to see?"

"Don't worry even if I did saw something, it's one of my clan's rules to never reveal what we learn, unless it threatens the Valley, me or a comrade"

"Really? Wow that's a relief"

"That doesn't mean I didn't saw something intimate though"

"Hey…" Naruto tried to reply but was cut by Ino's fingers on his lips

"Tell you what, let me compensate you; I will give you a night tour of the city, I bet Shika was too lazy to get out from his home and Chouji took you straight to that BBQ restaurant"

"Wow you seem to know them well"

"Of course, we three are the next leaders of our clans and as our parents and ancestors we have been raised together, almost as brothers and sister" "These silver earrings are proof of our bond"

"That's very cool Ino! Maybe I could build a bond like that someday"

Ino looked at the Sage, she remembered his memories, he had a father but no mother, his family was a bunch of disgusting toads, and his encounter with Tsunade and Sakura were more of lovers and friends; what was missing and he actually wanted was a real brother or sister.

Subconsciously this meant he longed for more human contact, and the need of belonging a child feels when he witness others bonds.

As Ino was immersed in her thoughts Naruto appraised her; she was wearing a short purple kimono with flower patterns all over it and a golden sash around her, her long hair was combed straight and had a nice make up that made her look more elegant along with a golden hair brooch.

Naruto remembered that Jiraiya once said that women who take the time to dress particularly well wants to be praised for that, it was a good manners thing.

Ino was brought back when Naruto waved a hand in front of her.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a moment there"

Naruto surprised her by extending his arm and saying "You look really pretty tonight"

"Will you give me that tour now?

Ino blushed intensely at that, it has been a long time since someone tried to court her; mostly because she was a clan heir, could read minds, and turned quickly into a raging nagging monster whenever she was with Shikamaru and Chouji.

"O-Of course! And thanks it's very kind of you" answered Ino as she latched herself to Naruto's strong arm.

They continued down the streets as Ino pointed out all the different flowers and buildings of the Yamanaka sector. She was very pleased at Naruto's great interest in flowers, he always stopped to smell them and feel their texture but never picking them.

Naruto was also interested in how the mind jutsus worked. She answered that basically the mind Jutsu is actually a two way genjutsu were the caster places itself in a similar trance as the receiver, as both chakra networks start to share chakra, that's where the link is established and memories and thoughts can be shared; the advantage of the Yamanaka in such trance was their preparation and the fact that they are aware of the Jutsus workings.

But it also had it risks, an unprepared mind walker could be overwhelmed by the memories of the victim resulting in mental disorders like adopting the victims behaviors or even some of it's memories.

It took years of training and psychology lessons to face the depths of a human mind; an unstable mind walker was a risk to both himself and the receiving person.

Naruto now saw that Ino was much braver than he thought, he had first thought of that skill as a cheap shot to acquire info but now saw that it was incredibly dangerous.

As their little "unplanned date" continued, they had entered a large park with tons of different flowers, it was truly one of the most amazing things Naruto had seen so far (Not that he had seen many)

"Ino, why is your clan so fond of flowers?" said Naruto as he kept looking at the park's display.

"Well it's not only that they are beautiful and smell good, for us they are a remainder of the people's life experiences, their memories"

"Each and everyone are different, even if they are of the same kind, no flower is the same and no flower blooms identically twice; they represent thoughts of love, regret, anger, hatred, joy, sadness, envy and so on"

"People's emotions and memories blooms all the time like this park and as mind walkers we have to be respectful of those thoughts, even our enemies as they were born human like us"

"So that's the story of why we are so fond of them"

Naruto looked pensive as in taking all these lessons to heart, people's thoughts are fragile you should always be respectful of them even if you don't agree, that way you could probably avoid many unnecessary battles.

Ino once again took Naruto's arm and continued down the park to the spot she had picked some years ago for a very special thing (you thought she dressed nice and suddenly stumbled on Naruto without a reason?)

As they stopped in the middle of a large bed of golden Chrysanthemums, Ino turned around and seductively placed her arms around him as she leaned on him.

Naruto went stiff but thought that she really smelled nice, so he started to get in the mood (he is a free man afterall)

"Say Naruto do you know Sakura Haruno from the Senju?"

"How did you knew?"

"Well, when I went into your mind she was one of your most vivid memories, and I have to say I am a bit jealous"

"You see, she and I have been friendly rivals for the past 10 years when we met at the armistice signing, she used to be this meek shy little girl with a large forehead, and she had started training under Tsunade at the time"

"I was full of confidence back at the day for my ninja training was going well, I was leader of our small trio and thought to be the prettiest girl in the armistice signing ceremony"

"I saw Sakura hiding away from the other boys who made fun of her, so I talked my friends (force them) to scare them away; and afterwards we became good friends"

"As time passed on during the negotiations, I helped her to earn more confidence and convinced her that hiding her forehead was only pointing out how large it was; after that she rarely hid her forehead anymore"

"One day we were playing ninja so we got into small spars with each other; she surprised me with her skill for melee combat and her already monstrous strength"

"Afterwards her confidence seemed to multiply tenfold and soon was leading the games, but being the center of attention back at the time I didn't stepped down so easily so we constantly clashed in these games pushing each other to be better than the other"

"By the time she left with her Sensei she was a different person she seemed bigger in so many aspects, so I made the promise to also improve myself and never let her be over me"

At this Ino walked a little onto the flower bed.

"But as time passed on she only grew stronger, more skilled, taller and more beautiful; in a sense she became a wonderful and mighty Sakura tree"

"While I certainly improved overtime, I was nowhere near Sakura's skill and strength; I remained a small delicate flower that won't reach high and only calls for a little attention from the passerby's"

"But I always held in pride that at least I was more attractive to men, at least one thing that I always had the upper edge; but upon witnessing your memories I see that is no longer the case, once again she has surpassed me"

Naruto truly didn't knew what to say did Ino really felt that inferior to Sakura, true Sakura was impressive in many ways but he never thought people could be so conscious of their failings in front of others.

"Ah Ino I am truly at a loss here, I wish I could help you but honestly I don't know how, I can't train you since I have to continue my journey, your skill aren't like Sakura's but you and her are different you can't really compare each other, your mind walking Jutsus are amazing and sound impossible to perform, even for me a Sage!"

"As for being pretty well, you are incredibly beautiful already, you can't compare a tree with a flower, they have beauty of their own, and each is wonderful"

Ino felt her cheeks going red, it really felt nice to be courted, but she had a pinky to get even with!

Turning slowly and undoing her golden sash as she slid her kimono to her shoulders.

Naruto gulped soundly not liking (well kind of liking) were this was going; "eh Ino your clothes are a bit loose, you need me to turn around?" as he continued eyeing her now exposed back as Ino had moved her long hair aside

"Not at all Naruto, you just said so yourself, trees and flowers have beauty of their own, so please tell me which is mine"

At this she turned around and had the kimono barely hanging from her just covering her chest and between them you could see her panties.

**LEMON ALERT!****! (YAY!)**

Ino moved closer to Naruto who was very nervous, not knowing what was going on he remained still.

Ino giggled a bit, he actually made nervous the man who had a threesome for his first time! (jealous?)

She closed the distance and let her kimono drop the moment she embraced Naruto.

"Naruto would you love me the same way you did Sakura? She was loved first and with such intensity that no man can compare to, It was such a wild thing I saw in your mind"

"Please have me in the same way; I will let you do me anything you want"

As Ino continued her assault, Naruto was getting hot and hard but he managed to control himself a bit.

"Ino this isn't right, you barely know me! ; you should do this with someone more worthy!"

Ino moved back a little barely covering her chest with one arm and smiling replied.

"If Sakura deemed you worthy of her then you are more than worthy of me, In your mind I couldn't see anything dark, it was all bright and full of life, full of joy and wonder"

"You said you wanted to help me, so help me like this, and witness my own beauty"

At this she kissed him lightly as she embraced him.

Naruto lost his control and started to return the kiss more aggressively; as he squeezed Ino's ass she yelped but had her mouth invaded by Naruto's tongue drowning her in the most passionate kiss of her life.

Ino couldn't believe how good it felt, she expected him to be good given how he slept with two of the strongest women in the world, but this was mind blowing. She was a virgin in body but was an avid reader of romantic novels and even gave a try to Jiraiya's books; she knew the mechanics but was still untouched by a man.

As Naruto parted his way to breath, he tripped Ino and both fell on the flower bed. He started to undress removing his cloak and shirt revealing his chest to Ino who blushed madly at that.

Naruto took his time to apprise Ino who was lying half naked under him, this made Ino to be conscious of her state and shyly tried to cover her body but Naruto grabbed her arms and held them over her head. Ino was lost in the intense stare Naruto was giving her body, she wanted to be kissed again but Naruto had other ideas.

He started to brush his face against Ino's body, her flat stomach, her breasts, her neck, her face and lastly above her panties.

Ino was moaning lightly at the brief sensations Naruto gave her as he continued exploring her but yelped when Naruto gave a hard squeeze to her left breast and a long lick to her nipple before kissing her deeply once again.

Naruto parted with her and lowly spoke.

"You want to continue? I f you say yes I won't stop even if you beg me…"

Ino barely registered his words

"Yes! Yes! More give me more!"

"Heh, as you wish"

At this he left go of her arms and started to massage her breasts while licking her nipples, Ino only could grab Naruto's hair moving with him as he switched breasts.

Naruto wanted more so he slowly slid his hands all the way down and began rubbing her cunt over her panties. Ino wanted to scream but she rather bit on Naruto's shoulder which in turn only got him more aroused and rubbed harder. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Ino finally came from Naruto's ministrations and didn't noticed when Naruto pulled down his pants and presented her with his large cock. Ino was dumbfounded, it was bigger than she expected but wouldn't give up.

Seeing Ino's hesitation he took her hand and made her grab his cock while making slow stroking movements. Ino took the hint and squeezed a bit harder which got a small groan from Naruto that made her smile, so she continued stroking him.

Naruto got tired of the stroking and said

"Use your imagination Ino, I need more"

Ino just loved that low voice of his and started to rub her nipples against his cock, he was in bliss as he got more comfortable in a sitting position while Ino worked with him.

Ino tried several things that got him more pleased but he wasn't near a release yet; so she gathered courage and gave him a long hard lick through his entire shaft, this got him to moan and encouraged Ino to continue down that path.

Ino kept licking him in several places, near his balls, the tip, everywhere but he just wouldn't have an orgasm. Ino decided to try sucking, she just took the tip but Naruto pushed her head deeper as he got impatient.

Ino took the initiative and started sucking and licking him, this time she would make him cum. Ino kept bobbling her head up and down at different speeds and just knew that Naruto was very near, he only needed one more small push, so remembering one of Jiraiya's books she began to hum causing a vibration to go all over his cock.

Naruto groaned louder this time and pushed Ino all the way down his cock as he finally started to cum in her mouth and throat.

Ino was surprised and since the cum was quickly filling her mouth and Naruto didn't let go of her head she began to swallow it.

It tasted better than she expected and did managed to get all of it down, but was surprised when Naruto got hard again in her mouth. Naruto stood up while still inside Ino's mouth and began to face fuck her as hard as he could, wanting a second release, Ino was gaggling but couldn't do anything to stop Naruto and she just breathed whenever she could.

A minute passed and Naruto pushed Ino down again as he came more furiously in her throat, she started swallowing by instinct.

Naruto finally let go Ino who just dropped on the flowers panting; Naruto positioned himself above her and once again spoke lowly, "Sorry for the rudeness but I can barely contain myself, now if you don't mind I am going to continue"

Naruto grazed her body with his hands as they descended to grab her panties and began pulling them. Ino weakly tried to stop him but all modesty was far gone, and only his lust remained.

Ino's pussy had a thin strip of blonde hair above her bright pink wet clit.

"Very nice Ino, very nice, you seem ready down here but I want to keep playing a little longer"

At this Ino began to moan loudly and continuously as Naruto kept eating her out making her feel pleasure like never before, stuck his tongue in, he rubbed and bit her clit countless times.

Ino just kept getting near her release but every time Naruto stopped before she could come.

Almost screaming Ino told him to stop messing around and let her have it. Chuckling Naruto told her "As you wish Ino…"

Ino closed her eyes and just felt something terribly large positioning itself in her entrance, she watched as Naruto was getting ready to enter her and before she could tell him to stop he started to slowly penetrate her; this gave Ino her orgasm but Naruto made it longer as he just kept advancing into Ino who moaned incoherent stuff.

"Say Ino did you liked that?"

"God, it was incredi!"

Before she could finish Naruto began to move again in a steadily increasing rhythm as Ino just gasped and tried to moan.

He kept pounding her harder and harder as she was becoming more accustomed to his size by coming over and over.

Naruto finally felt himself getting there so he slowed down and as he started to go deeper he asked into Ino's ear

"Ino, may I come inside of you?"

Ino barely managed to reply "Yes, fuck yes come inside me! I placed the birth control Jutsu before I stripped"

Naruto grinned and pushed as hard as he could into Ino as he started to fill her womb with his cum, Ino came immediately after this and clamped on Naruto milking him to the last drop.

As they both were lying down panting Naruto spoke in her ear.

"You are bad girl; you had this planned from the very beginning didn't you?"

At this he started to get hard again as he moved slowly inside her.

Ino wanted it to go faster but Naruto demanded her an answer.

"Ok, yes I planned it"

"Why?"

"Because Sakura had you and I wanted to have the same pleasure!"

"You just won't let her have a small victory do you?"

"Ah, I wouldn't call it a small victory, but she is already ahead of me in so many ways at least with this I get a bit closer! Fuck me faster"

"At least you were honest, then I will give you something nice"

Naruto pulled out from Ino who in turn almost punched him, but Naruto turned her around and rammed her pussy from behind.

"Ahhh, fuck! So deep! Keep going! I am close now!"

"Heh Heh, me too, were do you want it!"

"Inside!"

At this Naruto started pounding her harder and faster than before and lifting her by the legs he pushed once more as deeply as he could and came inside her again

Ino let out a barely audible moan as she reached her strongest orgasm so far.

**LEMON END (****shameT.T)**

Naruto took Ino to a pond in the park to wash her since she couldn't move her legs and was still in a daze; Naruto cleaned both of them and returned to the Chrysanthemum bed were he lay with Ino in his arms.

"Hey Ino?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you want to sleep here?"

"Yeah, it smells nice"

"Very well, will you be there when I wake up this time?"

"This time I promise"

"Good night Ino"

"Good night Naruto…"

As Ino drifted over to sleep Naruto was wondering what had happened, he couldn't believe his own actions and words as he had sex with Ino, it was like he became a different person.

"Damn Jiraiya and his pervy books, they got to me stronger than I thought"

With this he took his cloak and used to cover himself and Ino.

Tomorrow Naruto would decide which clan would be his next destination…

**AN: Done!**

**Wow another lemon, still feels weird to write them!**

**So I received a very interesting question the other day about how Ino managed to get into Naruto's head and didn't found the joyful fur ball. Well the answer is this just in case someone didn´t connected the dots.**

**When Minato was sealing the Kyubi, said fox slipped a SMALL portion of his consciousness into Naruto knowing that in time it would wake up fully; it didn't manifested before because Naruto never had the need, he was trained as a Sage and thus never ran out of his own chakra and he was always happy and innocent.**

**It has started to manifest strongly in his sex encounters as a more aggressive lover and in battle as he loses control of his emotions. These bursts of the Kyubi's chakra and personality had left small scars in his subconscious as Ino noted but nothing major yet; still the scars will pile up and eventually unearth the fox. Hope you are satisfied!**

**Ok people last chance to vote! Uchiha. Hyuga and Sarutobi are the options with the Uchiha leading the voting and Hyuga and Sarutobi tied in close second; you have until Sunday night as I will begin writing on Monday.**

**Next chapter will determine the exact geography of my world so you can locate Naruto in your minds and also his arrival to the new clan, I intend to make the new arc longer than the Senju and as always good descriptions of the clans, their history and people.**

**Read, vote and please review.**


	12. Where the Fire Breaths

**Chapter 11: Where the Fire Breaths**

**Quick AN: So Uchiha won, well actually tied with Hyuga but for story purposes and get us back into action I decided to go first with the Uchiha. Before anything, remember this is my story and I HATE BASHING! so I won't go beyond the logical bad aspects of the Uchiha. No complaints people!**

The next morning Naruto woke up still embracing a very naked Ino on the flower bed.

"I could get used to this….What! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts!"

At his musings Ino stirred and woke up as well, but still in a half sleep state she went straight for Naruto and kissed him tenderly.

Ino mumbled something "Don't leave…too soon…please?"

Naruto just gave her a confused look.

"Ah, Ino? You ok?"

At this Ino finally woke up fully

"Oh, mmm, what? Yeah I am fine! Good morning I guess! HA HA HA!"

Naruto just smiled

"You are here"

"What?

Ino just remembered what she promised last night as she was reeling from her sex high, and went a deep crimson color

"Dummy!" and kissed him again.

"We should get up! Shikamaru and Chouji are probably looking for you since we (blushes again) slept together last night"

Naruto started to get dressed as he continued to appraise the naked Ino, she looked even better under the Sun.

"You think they will know what we did last night?

"They will suspect something is going on but they aren't that sharp minded"

"As long as we don't specifically tell them they will drop it soon"

Soon after they got dressed and walked out of the park they encountered Shikamaru and Chouji. They asked were Naruto had been all night, to what Ino tried to answer but started to stutter.

Fortunately Naruto saved her by telling that they went together to explore the city at night and had been walking all night and into the morning. Shikamaru knew that there was something else in all this but it wasn't his business and Ino seemed rather happy and relaxed so everything was fine for all he cared.

Shikamaru informed them that a letter from the Senju had sent an aid request to help Naruto get oriented to reach his next destination; the letter was signed by Sakura along with a small package.

Naruto was conducted to the Hall of Meetings, where the armistice was signed 10 years ago, were a large world map displayed all the Elemental Lands, the smaller nations among them and the inner division among the clans.

As Naruto was staring amazed by the map, Shikamaru began his instruction on the Elemental Lands.

The Map itself had been made by an ancient Sage who first roamed the lands and had named them after its current names, his name as well as his origin now gone from record.

**NORTH WEST – LAND OF EARTH**, this land is known as the Land of Earth, far away from the Land of Fire and divided by a wide mountain belt from its neighbors in Lighting to its east, Fire to its south east and Wind to its south. The Land has vast mineral ores and underground water wells making it a rather good place to live and the possibility of becoming a prosperous nation.

The clans of this land are known as The Iwa clans (Rock), and they are rumored to be widely populated, even a small clan has the same number of members as the Uchiha or the Sarutobi. Their sheer numbers should make them a threat for the neighboring lands but constant fighting for domination and resources have kept harmless and unknown from the rest of the world.

Legend of the past speak of the Iwa invasions to the other lands but it's rumored a Sage of great power rose the mountain walls from the ground and cut off Earth from the other nations making their threat a bad memory; only a few entry points remain making any invasion attempt closely watched and prevented.

The clans from these lands are highly specialized in earth element jutsus.

**NORTH EAST – LAND OF LIGHTNING**, also a highly mountainous area with the main distinction of having large ravines filled with rivers, forests and small valleys. These characteristics along with the ore rich mountains create massive thunderstorms and frequent raining all year round thus earning its name.

Since resources and space are scarce, the fighting for good living areas is ruthless an often ends in complete towns being wiped out.

One of their main traits is the generalized acceptance of slavery, a practice that is said dates back to when a Lightning lord still existed and was known as a tyrant who once had a 1000 slave harem for himself. His tyranny reached a breaking point and a large group of wandering clans supported the rebellion effectively killing the Lightning lord. Once the people were free from the tyrant the land was divided into the many victorious clans having large numbers of the civilian populations joining them; the issue rose when suddenly a large number of slaves were freed but not knowing other life they sold themselves to new masters (Roman and Aztec tradition) in exchange for better rights and working conditions. Their new masters accepted gladly and so slavery remains a deeply entrenched Lighting custom.

The peoples of these lands are highly specialized in Lightning element jutsus as well as some wind users.

**EAST – LAND OF WATER**, three massive islands splintered by hundreds of small rivers and lakes. The most northern island spends half a year covered in snow while the other two most southern ones enjoy better weather. The natural conditions allow for large productions of rice and the best fishing available.

The story of the islands start as home of sailing samurai that once ruled the islands and occasionally sent small incursions into Fire and Lightning to retrieve slaves, gold and other goods, but soon enough the raiding samurai splintered and began a long bloody battle that ended when several clans crossed the sea and joined the fight. The joining of both fighting styles ended in sword wielding ninja clans producing some of the most powerful and terrifying sword masters in the world.

Another trait of the Land is the large number of kekei genkais present among the clans of Water, these individuals unlike the ones on Fire don't enjoy of special status or their own clans but rather suffer discrimination, persecution, extermination and in the best cases are exploited as weapons.

To this day the many clans in water still clash among the frequent mists of the islands tainting them in blood, turning the Land of Water into one of the most violent and unlawful places in the world; though there is rumor that two large groups are trying to unify the land and end the wars.

The people of this Land are highly specialized in water element jutsus as well being skilled sword masters.

**WEST – LAND OF WIND**, a vast desert strangely beginning right at the western edge of the Land of Fire, this desert expands all the way to the west and beyond to unexplored lands. The Land though is the largest in territory is the least inhabited due to the harshness of the environment; the few human settlements are located nearby oasis's and on the border with the Land of Earth at the slopes of the mountains were the ice from the peaks melts and goes down towards the towns and trading posts of the area and disappear into underground rivers. The first inhabitants were nomads that first learned of the ways a desert can procure life; as time passed the desert nomads were being attacked by bandits and passing ninja, the nomads soon recruited the services of a small but skilled clan of ninja for protection. Soon enough the nomads and the ninja merged into one and learned how to rule over the desert.

Unlike other lands divided by many clans there is only one significant power in Wind, the Sabaku clan, masters of desert and it's hidden paths.

The Sabaku are a divided in smaller branches that though recognize the main head rarely agree on doing something as a whole thus preventing them of becoming a real power or moving its influences beyond the desert.

The people of this land are specialists in wind element jutsus and some in earth.

**CENTRAL LANDS – LAND OF FIRE**, the most prosperous of the elemental lands and home to some of the most powerful clans and ninja in the world, its territory divided into 5 pieces.

_**Northern Land of Fire – Senju**_: Masters of the forests and said to have mystical connections to nature and perhaps the spirits themselves through their wood element jutsus.

_**Central Valley**_: Controlled by the triple alliance of the Nara, Akimichi and Yamanaka clans, mostly a neutral faction

_**Eastern Land of Fire - Uchiha**_: Controlled by the mighty Uchiha clan, a highly ambitious and aggressive clan that has tried to unify the Land of Fire several times in the past; the Uchihas main trait is the fabled Sharingan a powerful Kekei Genkai which powers differ greatly between users, some say that their eyes carry curses for the entire world.

_**Southern Land of Fire - Hyuga**_: Controlled by the Hyuga clan, perhaps among the most ancient clans to inhabit the Land of Fire, a highly traditionalist clan with some of the best melee warriors and possessors of the Byakugan, the all Seeing Eye. Highly diplomatic but with an incredibly arrogant disposition.

_**Western Land of Fire – Sarutobi**_: A vastly populated clan of fine and very powerful ninja, the Sarutobi origins is unclear but they welcome into their ranks anyone who demonstrates promise. The Sarutobi are also highly religious as their main belief the Will of Fire has allowed them to continue being a great power in the face of adversity and internal divisions.

They are ruled by the undefeated Hiruzen Sarutobi also known as The Professor, the oldest living ninja in the world, undefeated through countless battles and wars, even the Uchiha has come to respect his power as his Jutsu repertoire is as vast as that of the most skilled Uchiha.

Great expectation awaits the Sarutobi as a successor has to be named soon.

The clans of the Land of Fire specialize in a wide array of Jutsus since being at the middle of the elemental lands has seen all kinds of people establishing themselves within its borders.

**SOUTH – LAND OF WHIRPOOLS****, **Destroyed and lost to the ocean due to a sea earthquake.

"Wow! That's a lot of places to visit! (And a lot of women to meet…huh? Bad thoughts again! God I am turning into dad!)"

Naruto grabbed his head over his newly found interest, he would fight such urges (at least try)

Ino wanting to know why they were showing this to Naruto asked

"But why are we showing this to Naruto? its not like the rest of the clans are going to welcome him with arms wide open"

Shikamaru just sat down and began explaining since Naruto was too submerged studying the map.

"Sages are different from us regular ninja, not only in skill and power. All ninja recognize them as agents of change, peace, destruction or wisdom, to even meet one in a lifetime is already considered to be extremely lucky and to face one in combat is to be considered the heavens judgment upon you"

"Any ninja worth their weight in salt will offer certain amount of respect to a Sage" looking at Naruto who was trying to look closer into the map sighed "Even odd ones like him"

Chouji remembering the package Sakura set along with her aid request approached Naruto

"Here Naruto, this is Sakura's package for you"

"From Sakura-chan! Wow must be something very cool!"

Naruto quickly opened the package to find a letter and a compass

_Dear Naruto_

_May this compass help you find your path to your dreams and back to me._

_I am still waiting for your answer._

_P.S. kick Ass out there! Cha!_

_Yours_

_Sakura._

"Wow a compass!" Turning around he asked "What's a compass?"

The whole staff of the Hall tripped over such question…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

After a long explanation on the uses of a compass and map navigation, Naruto was finally ready to continue his journey through the Land of Fire.

Shikamaru wondered what exactly did Naruto's father taught him, but dismissing such question he needed to ask the most important thing

"So Naruto since you are ready to go, have you thought of which place will be your next destination?"

Naruto really hadn't thought much about it, his journey was far from being over and he needed more experiences and knowledge; at this he shivered as he remembered the terrible Sharingan of Kitara.

The Uchiha are feared and respected throughout the land as some of the most formidable and capable ninjas; true they had a bad reputation and an even worst history of battles and conquest attempts but no one would deny their talent.

As much as he wanted to avoid going to the Uchiha he decided that is better to end it sooner than late; besides who knew maybe they weren't that bad, after all Kitara did apologize (but she killed a lot of guys without flinching, made me watch a nightmare, burn down a casino in the middle of a town and then go take some holidays)… Ok maybe Kitara is the worst one!

"Yup I decided, The Uchiha will be my next destination!"

The trio became worried for him; though he was a Sage the Uchihas don't have a reputation for being very friendly to outsiders.

As he was lead to the Eastern gate the trio tried to convince him to first visit some of the other clans or even go to another elemental land. Naruto wondered why they were so worried about him visiting the Uchihas, the answer they gave him was a simple one, they had started the last war that in the end needed the signing of the armistice, for such a treaty to be required among the great powers of Fire, the war had been great, long and terrible.

As for when they asked Naruto of why he was going their way, he just said

"I know an Uchiha from a mission before; I guess I will have a better time in a place where I know someone"

Ino narrowed her eyes as she remembered one of the top reasons men insisted on doing stupid things, women! (tell me otherwise)

Ino grabbed Naruto and spoke low and dangerously to him, "Is this person a woman by any chance?"

"Heh, well yeah she is, but she is scary as hell!"

"So is Sakura and Tsunade, and still you fucked them all night long!"

"Well actually it was Tsunade who forced me and Sakura to go at it, and they were pretty drunk back then"

Ino just sighed and let him go, there was no winning in this, and after all she also set him up to have sex.

Finally the group was standing at the eastern gate, Naruto was instructed that this time he should stick to the main road which was wider and better paved than the others, and keep heading east. They also indicated that in the big Uchiha arrogance, they had banners displaying their symbol everywhere.

Shikamaru was the first to say good bye to Naruto.

"Remember what we talked about Naruto, think carefully about what you want and how to get it"

"Will do Shikamaru! Believe it!"

Chouji also approached and as he gave Naruto a rushing bear hug he timidly whispered a good bye and made a question

"Ah, Naruto do you have any quick advice on how to seduce women? I have many problems getting a cute girlfriend"

Naruto was clueless about it but soon remembered his father

"I know, my dad published several books on the matter! Here is the name of his books you should find them in a bookstore!" Said Naruto while giving Chouji a slip of paper with names of the books

"Do they work!"

"Well I have had sex 3 times since I read them so I think they do the trick"

Chouji was mumbling the number 3 after that exchange

Finally Ino came forward to say good bye.

"Well Naruto, looks like you are all set to go…shame you can't stay longer"

By surprise she lowered him and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Make sure to return someday, we will see even more "flowers" then"

Naruto just smiled and turned away as he left the central Valley and headed East.

"What was that Ino?"

"A secret…"

"Troublesome…"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto now had been on the main road for 3 days heading east while closely monitoring his compass to make sure he wouldn't get lost once again.

On the road he knew he was on the right track since several posts had the Uchiha Symbol carved on them signaling the beginning of their territory, strangely enough no one had come to stop him.

Naruto had come around the skirts of a few farms and small towns, all bearing the Uchiha symbol but didn't entered them having decided to just make it straight for the main capital were he intended to meet Kitara, he wanted a new kind of training and she seemed to be quite the experienced ninja to at least give him some pointers.

The land of the Uchiha unlike the others so far, was more flat grasslands and had less trees to be seen, leaving a great land mass with little obstacle for any traveler passing by. This also made the territory quite windy.

From the looks of the people he came to encounter on the road, they seemed highly dedicated to their jobs, clothing and work tools, whatever it was. Shikamaru had explained that people in Uchiha were proud to name themselves as the best available. Probably that drove even the civilians to be better than others.

As Naruto's fourth day was coming to an end, he finally saw the lights of the city behind a small hill. Excited by this Naruto ran up hill to watch the city; he was left speechless upon witnessing the grand city of "Fire Breath", it was at least one and half times bigger than Green Keep an its neatly delimited shape resembled the Uchiha symbol of a Fan with a river crossing it's city in a curve.

The city was also close to the ocean but had a separated harbor just in case of sea borne invasions from the Land of Water.

Naruto joined the long line of travelers and traders wanting access to the city; upon getting close he appreciated the tall red walls enclosing the city, they seemed ancient but sturdy enough to resist most attacks.

Finally Naruto reached the grand Iron gates where armored ninja were expecting him, their armors seemed very light and flexible, their color was red and on their chests stood a small Uchiha fan.

"Hold it traveler! State your visit purpose and time of your visit"

Naruto was puzzled, it was the first time someone asked those, but since they were simple enough questions he went ahead and answered.

"Well I am here to visit Kitara Uchiha and I am planning to stay for at least a month!"

Both guards were clearly surprised of hearing a friend of royalty came unannounced

"What's your name boy?"

"Naruto the Sage from Myoboku!" (when will he learn?) Exclaimed a proud Naruto.

Both guards looked to each other and started laughing making Naruto upset.

"Sorry kid but no Sage has come to these lands in almost a decade and no Sage is so young!"

"So beat it! You can't enter telling lies"

This was the first time someone doubted his "credentials"; he could show them pictures and his ID but felt that wouldn't make the cut his time.

"So you want proof then, ok ask me to do something only a Sage would be capable of"

Both guards seeing Naruto was the last traveler from the day decided to entertain themselves with him so they thought of a really hard task only a sage could do with ease.

"Ok boy, there is something you could try, follow us"

Both guards escorted Naruto to a section of the wall that was under maintenance but apparently had suffered an accident; there was a lot of rubble and all the supporting structure was smashed.

"Ok boy clear the rubble from the wall's side and place over here the still usable blocks; but there is a condition, you have 10 mins to do it"

"If you make it, I will escort you personally to lady Kitara"

Naruto saw the rubble and nodding he created dozens of shadow clones all who started to move the rubble and place the blocks on neat piles.

Both guards were stunned by such performance, dozens of shadow clones working orderly and with haste.

In under 8 minutes the wall was clear form obstacles, the rubble was ready to be picked, and the blocks were ready for the next day of work.

"Ok so that was easy though a bit tiresome" grinning he turned to the shocked guards.

"I believe someone was going to escort me into the city?"

The guard still amazed only nodded and signaled his partner to send message to the palace; the Uchiha had visitors

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

As Naruto was being escorted through the city he could appraise that unlike the previous places he had been at, Fire Breath was much more industrial and noisy, traders offering all kinds of products he had never seen, stores full of products from far places and other lands, weapon stores offering all kind of equipment an Uchiha or any of their allies would need.

One of the things Naruto remembered about Kitara was her unique looks, an alabaster skin, jet black hair and those intense onyx eyes; so far Naruto hadn't seen anyone with any of those traits.

"Guys are you Uchiha family members?"

The guards chuckled lightly and replied

"Nah, all Uchiha family members are royalty of some degree and their living quarters are passing the river, they have quite the numbers but most of the folk you see around here are mostly civilians or Auxilia (roman term for non roman military units) ninja, my partner and I are both Auxilia of the Uchiha"

"Our duty is basically to form the backbone of the clan's military and police forces"

"I see like in the Senju, your clans were invited to join and be part of their ways"

"I wouldn't put it like that Lord; it's more like our clans were defeated by the Uchiha a long time ago and were given 3 choices, serve, leave or die. I don't complain though, life is quite good and this 10 years or peace are a very welcomed respite"

"Besides if one is skilled and strong enough is often invited to join the clan main ranks and if you are extremely lucky marry one of their members!"

Naruto pondered the differences among the great powers apparently the Uchiha thrived in conflict and reached their power through violence and conquest while the Senju gathered strength in bonding and harmony.

Soon they reached the inner bridge and the river; the Uchiha family quarters were divided by the river which was wide enough for a medium sized boat to sail on it and a large tall white wall with defensive turrets that were empty at the moment.

At the inner gate another ninja with a blue armor received Naruto and started to make the paper work as he dismissed the red armored guards.

The guard went away writing Naruto's physical description and belongings.

"Name?"

"Naruto the Sage from Myoboku!"

"I meant your full name, your family name!"

Naruto realized that he actually didn't knew his family name, for that matter Jiraiya's family name! He never gave it much thought and no one had asked before.

"Sorry but I was never given one, I grew in a mountain with my father"

"Don't worry kid, is a minor requirement but if I were you I would like to know, who knows maybe you are lost royalty or something!"

Naruto actually got very thoughtful about it, in all his years he had never thought of having other family besides his father; he grew up thinking his father was all he had and he was fine with it, but witnessing the bonds in the clans, the love of a mother and the laughs of a big family he had begun to wonder if had family somewhere else, maybe a cousin, uncles or perhaps his mother?

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when a man dressed with a blue shirt, long white slacks and blue sandals around his age and surprisingly his height appeared before him; he had alabaster white skin, jet black hair in a funny style and intense onyx eyes watching him in annoyance.

Naruto felt irked by his gaze and immediately got on his face glaring with the same intensity, and soon both were locked in a staring match until the guard raised his voice.

"Excuse me Lord Sasuke but this is Lady Kitara´s visitor"

"Hn, so this is the supposed Sage my cousin said she met during her mission? Looks like a dobe!"

Naruto just felt terribly offended for some reason and soon got on his face again,

"Who are you calling dobe you, you Chicken butt hair bastard!"

Sasuke got back not knowing how to respond that one, no one had ever dared to bad mouth him much less insult him, but watching the guard doing his best to not laugh he decided it was better to put the stranger in his place.

Sasuke jumped back and quickly got into a fighting stance; Naruto watched this and though he really wanted to kick his ass, he managed to remember where he was and who his rude host was, he finally reached a city without getting lost or being hauled in so he wouldn't blow it this time.

Swallowing his pride he just bowed a little

"I am sorry this is your home and my behavior was rude; I ask your forgiveness"

Sasuke almost tripped he was certain the blonde idiot would fight him but also remembering who he was, had to accept his apology.

"Don't I was the first to insult you" said Sasuke while greeting his teeth.

Naruto extended his hand and Sasuke shook it awkwardly. Both began to squeeze harder and harder.

Just when both "boys" where starting to feel real pain from each other's greeting another male entered the scene.

"Now now little brother, where are your manners? He is a guest to our dear cousin and a Sage if I heard right. You should be honored to meet one while you live"

Naruto grinned widely as Sasuke let his hand go

"Yeah! You should feel honored I graced the Uchiha with my presence!"

Sasuke glowed with anger but smirked when saw who was approaching the arrogant Sage.

A couple of slender arms hugged quite sensually the unsuspecting Sage from behind making him freeze on the spot.

"Well I don't know about Sasuke-chan here but I am certainly honored to see you again Naruto-chan" whispered Kitara while taking a playful bite on Naruto's ear.

Naruto just screamed and jumped like a cat up a light pole passing the gate.

Sasuke was laughing his ass off, while his brother just closed his eyes while smiling and Kitara was inviting him to come down with her finger.

And so Naruto started his chronicles with the Uchiha…

**AN: Done!**

**I am so sorry for not updating in such a long time but my workload just multiplied ten fold.**

**This one is a bit short but gave you a geographical sense for Naruto's journey and his world in general.**

**With this I covered a little about the Uchiha, don't worry I will make a much deeper description of their clan, customs and history, which by the way will include a few things of Naruto's own heritage!**

**As for Sasuke seeming out of character, well here he has everything his arrogant heart could have; a complete family, a proud strong clan and little reasons to become a brooding bastard.**

**Worry not though I will turn him into a much serious character later in the story (No BASHING!).**

**Expect next chapter during weekend, I will work my ass off to get it done no matter what!**

**Please let me know if you think there are inconsistencies with my geographical lay out.**

**Also any questions regarding the story I will be glad to answer**

**Read, enjoy and review!**

**On another note, I have been thinking of anew story that may interest you people, basically is a story from the point of view of several Naruto characters telling the story of Naruto as a powerful warlord who sets out to conquer every kingdom and build his own empire. Again this is set in one of my original worlds based in something similar to European medieval times or maybe a Romance of the three kingdoms style. It would be a bit of a lemon fest but with good degree of drama and whole army battles!**

**Let me know your opinion about it! Maybe I could start it sometime soon as a side project!**


	13. Heritage, Rivalry and Conspiracy

**Chapter 12: Heritage, Rivalry and Conspiracy**

**Quick AN: So no one actually bashed me for not making Sasuke an Emo bastard! **

**So this chapter goes deeper into the Uchiha and a few other stuff, but most importantly we get back into action and to the main plot, what main plot you ask? Well I admit I have kept it well hidden so far but I have left several clues overall, and the Uchiha may give you some of the most important ones so pay attention!**

As Naruto finally landed from the light pole he climbed to escape from Kitara, the Uchihas extended formally their greetings and praise for having a Sage visiting them (except Sasuke!).

Itachi introduced himself as Sasuke's older brother and current heir for the Uchiha clan while Kitara reintroduced herself in a more friendly manner than before, explaining that she was more like a sister for the Uchiha heirs.

Sasuke upon being forced by his older siblings also introduced himself and welcomed him to the Uchiha main district.

Naruto also noticed that Kitara looked far younger than she did over at the Fuijin; Kitara explained that in order to pass by as Kita Hubei she had to dress and apply makeup so she looked like a beautiful woman in her mid thirties, she was actually 24 years old.

Itachi said that he was 26 years old while Sasuke was 17 years old, making Sasuke angry of always being the baby brother.

Naruto smiled at their interactions, he had expected for the Uchiha to be an extremely martial lot with a desire for violence and conquest but was pleased to see them as a happy regular family (yeah sure!)

As they walked Naruto noticed the difference between the Uchiha district and the rest of the city; The district had wider streets and much less people than the rest of the city, the buildings also had a more traditionalist design and were big as well while the rest of the city had more modern designs and were cramped against each other.

When Naruto asked about such differences Sasuke answered that the original Uchiha village remained barely unchanged while the rest of the city was meant for the civilians, traders and auxilia; nonetheless the defensive structure of the outer city was very important since the rest of the population were valuable assets.

Naruto didn't knew what to make of such comments, did the Uchiha actually cared about the rest of the people? Or just saw them as assets to be used?

Seeing the troubled Naruto, Kitara explained, that all the people within the walls of Fire Breath were valuable because they were all talented at something and thus made her people stronger and more proud. Naruto nodded a bit more relieved but still troubled, what about people who couldn't do much but were still good and kind?

Naruto just dropped the idea and continued admiring the beautiful Uchiha district, gleaming banners and statues of old Uchiha adorned the streets as well as several people. Naruto could notice several Uchiha since their traits made them obvious but others weren't so.

Itachi explained that most of the people here were Uchiha of some degree and others were promoted auxilia, descendants of Uchiha and auxilia and the rest were the best servants available to do the chores.

Naruto also wondered about the different colors all the ninja seemed to wear, all of them were clad in red, blue and black outfits with a small Uchiha symbol on their backs.

Itachi explained that in order to balance squads and gain recognition the 3 colors represented their level of skill and power.

Red was for low level ninja, mostly kids or poorly talented ninja that had minor guard duties

Blue was for advanced ninja, average and above the average ninja with potential still left to tap unto.

Black, was for the elite exclusively, the most powerful members and warriors of the clan, most enemy ninja flee on sight.

White, reserved exclusively for the clan leader and it's mate (You can dream of having a girl as leader!).

Itachi and Kitara were both clad in Black as Sasuke was wearing a blue outfit

Naruto acknowledged this as a group of young Uchiha women passed by giving him sultry looks; Naruto blushed as Kitara laughed and said.

"We Uchiha know something good when we see it!"

At this Naruto just blushed harder as Sasuke got bit jealous and huffed.

The four of them kept walking as Naruto was witness to many of the Uchiha daily motions; small kids playing ninja, only that their game were made as fast and skillfully as possible, youngsters practicing their Jutsu in open squares, older Uchiha locked in stare downs using their still developing Sharingan.

All in all, it was no longer a surprise of why the Uchiha were such an aggressive power, they spent their entire life honing their skills and thriving for more. In a sense it's an admirable trait but left little space for peace and the pursuit of higher goals.

As Naruto and his escorts approached the main square before the grand Uchiha Palace, a grand statue of a ninja stood on its center. Sasuke proudly stated that the statue was of Madara Uchiha the great father of the Uchiha a mighty warrior, and perhaps one of the strongest ninja that has ever lived.

Naruto admired the statue, it truly was magnificent, full of detail and made in such materials that made the statue look brand new. The main characteristic was the face grim and serious but also looked very much like an older version of Sasuke, and two large rubies placed on the eyes made the statue to almost be alive.

The sight made Naruto shiver for some reason but proceeded as the rest of his escort made it through and continued to the palace.

The palace was easily the most amazing and intricate building he had seen so far, filled with gardens, inner walls, statues, blue armored guards, training yards, and the main building that resembled an ancient Chinese palace ( Like Beijing's forbidden city)

The inside of the palace was as spectacular as the front, the walls had paintings of every Uchiha victory over the ages. As they moved deeper the group stumbled upon a great painting depicting a large Uchiha army routing an enemy clan that had banners with windmills on them, Sasuke explained that that was one of the most important victories in the clan's history as it allowed them to become the dominant power in the eastern Land of Fire, details of the battle itself were scarce at best and its only recorded that a fatal mistake in intelligence made the Namikaze clan fall in battle. In the aftermath the Uchiha demanded the Namikaze to serve them or leave those lands for good as per their battle tradition; to the Uchihas surprise the Namikaze decided to leave and migrated southwards burning and destroying their homes on their wake, apparently they were too proud to accept servitude.

Naruto kept staring intently at the Namikaze windmill, Kitara pulled him along but Naruto thought it was a cool symbol.

As they kept moving inside a man with clad in black with white hair, a mask over his mouth and an eye patch on his left eye approached them while reading an orange book.

"Yo guys, just to tell you that Lord Fugaku wishes to meet the young Sage here"

At rising a little his sight he met the blonde Sage, for a moment he thought he knew him from somewhere but couldn't place it.

Everyone nodded except for Sasuke who had a terrifying scowl on his face; the man turned feeling the smoldering stare Sasuke gave him.

"Oh right, sorry Sasuke for not making it to our training session but a large family of black cats crossed my road so had to go all the way around and met an old lady who needed help so I lost track of time, tomorrow we will train all day if you wish"

Sasuke intensified his stare as his Sharingan threatened to appear

"You lazy jerk! How dare you say that again, you used the exact same excuse last week, how am I supposed to be at Itachi and Kitara's level if you keep missing our training sessions!"

As Sasuke kept screaming at an uninterested Cyclops, Kitara explained to Naruto that the man was Kakashi Hatake one of the greatest ninja the clan ever had in its ranks; blessed as a true genius since childhood he quickly became a war hero of the Uchiha during the last war and had fought bravely in it for 7 long years before the armistice was signed. Afterwards he was assigned to supervise Sasuke's training but as usual he always kept a cool and uninterested demeanor on that subject.

In Kitara´s opinion Sasuke was already very strong and talented but as he always compared himself against his brother, it was never enough…

Kitara explained that Itachi was not only stronger than she and Sasuke; he was probably stronger than every Uchiha and auxilia in the city. He briefly demonstrated his talent during the last years of the war and his sole presence was enough to crushingly turn the tide of the battle.

Naruto couldn't believe his eyes, is Itachi really such a strong ninja? He seems so peaceful all the time, slightly smiling here and there and being playful with his brother.

"Hard to believe right? Whispered Kitara "But I have seen him in action and let me tell you, he is in a completely different league, uncle Fugaku often says Itachi is the greatest Uchiha born since Madara himself"

As Naruto tried to digest the idea of someone who can be compared to a legend, a sudden urge crept into his mind, how would it be to face him in battle? Naruto was certain he was strong as well but didn't have something or someone to compare himself with; fantasies of such duel filled his mind, someone who could fight him in his sage mode at full power and still catch up with him and probably defeat him!

Naruto was trembling with such thoughts even though he didn't noticed, finally someone who could drive him to his limits.

Kitara noticed the exited stare Naruto was giving Itachi and pulled his arm; this broke Naruto's current train of thought and was back to normal.

When Kakashi finally managed to set Sasuke at peace and escape, the four continued their march towards the main chambers were Fugaku was waiting to have an audience with the Sage.

Upon entering the main chambers they were greeted with dozens of officials going through the paper work a large city like Fire Breath needed to keep standing and functioning; at the end of the chamber one could distinguish the elevated seats where two white clad figures sat while reviewing several papers and documents.

Fugaku signed the last document of the day and smiled upon seeing his heir arriving alongside the Sage.

"It is good to see you Itachi! You've been too busy with your trainings lately, and I can see you were kind enough to bring our most distinguished guest to me"

Itachi let his smile to drop a bit and replied "Actually father it was Sasuke who first _welcomed_ our guest here, I was just passing by so I tagged along"

Fugaku frowned at his lack of interest for his praise but continued

"Anyway! It is an honor to count with the presence of such a legendary character as a Sage among us, the last Sage to visit us left a rather embarrassing memory upon his leaving" (whatever you guess is the truth!)

"My name is Fugaku Uchiha current clan leader of the Uchiha, and this here is my wife Mikoto"

Naruto stiffened upon being addressed so formally but remembered his manners

"It is my honor to be in your presence Lord, and I thank you for such words! I hope to live up to them!"

Fugaku smiled, he always enjoyed seeing people bow before him.

"Now, now Lord Sage, I heard you helped with the repairs of the outer wall and all that after a long trip; I ask you to join us in dinner to talk more of your travels so far and consider yourself a guest of mine so you don't have to worry about accommodations tonight or any other you spend in our lands."

Naruto bowed once more thanking their hospitality and started to walk towards the clan's head private dining room. He could also watch the white clad lady patting Sasuke who seemed sad about something.

As they arrived for dinner, Naruto was once again in deep trouble since this dinner was unlike any other; before him stood the most elegant dinner table he ever saw and not to mention the wide array of forks and spoons available. He was more accustomed to use chopsticks, simple forks, spoons and his hands!

Sasuke smirked noticing the Sage's dilemma and sat right across him to enjoy the show in front row; Naruto noticed and just glared at him.

The white lady noticed the young Sage's trouble and signaled Kitara and Itachi to sit next to him and help him as much as they could.

The dinner went in a peculiar way as Naruto often tried to eat properly but ended up confused as Kitara and Itachi were using opposite instruments and hands, not to mention the proper sequence to eat some plates; everything was delicious but his lack of table manners made Sasuke to quiet a couple of laughs.

Fugaku didn't notice this as he went on retelling the story of the Uchiha and his wife just kept smiling at the peculiar situation.

At some point Fugaku made a comment on Naruto's excellent appetite and immediately after, Sasuke began to eat faster challenging Naruto with his stare, Naruto accepted of course.

Half an hour later Naruto and Sasuke were both in the bathroom with some serious stomach aches as they had each far more than they could actually eat!

By the end of dinner Fugaku had invited Naruto to partake on the palace's training schedule to which Naruto nodded slowly, he wasn't sure of what to do from now on, he had come to ask Kitara for a few pointers but he encountered a whole family willing to train with him and a far more powerful ninja that he would try to challenge if possible.

As Kitara escorted him to his room, he could see Sasuke being hugged by his mom and receiving a kiss to the forehead; Naruto give them a lingering look before entering his room and rejecting a willful Kitara to show him around the room, he just wasn't in the mood.

After a few minutes he heard a knock on his door, he went and opened it to find Mikoto Uchiha. Naruto appraised the woman who stood before him, either she had her children very young or time just stopped for her, she looked like in her mid thirties, with waist long straight black hair, alabaster skin and black eyes, though hers didn't had that typical Uchiha fire. She was dressing still her white kimono with blue sleeves and grayish flame patterns though the entire piece.

Naruto took several steps back into the room surprised to find the lady of the palace at his room.

"My lady! To what do I owe the honor of such visit and so late at night!" spoke almost screaming panicked over the thoughts he was having (you dirty, dirty man!)

The lady closed the door behind her and approached Naruto still smiling

"As lady of this house, it's my duty to make sure all your needs as my guest are covered"

Naruto started to sweat bullets at that sentence; he had been having sex quite often but doing it with a married woman! And one with the same status as a queen! NO WAY! He did remembered a sacred rule of Naruto "Never with the mom and never with the sister!"

"That's very kind of you but right now I don't need anything just a soft bed will do to rest properly!"

Mikoto approached Naruto even more while still smiling gently; Naruto got cornered against the rail of the balcony in his room and dropping to his knees he thought "This is it? This is how far I am going in life? Well at least my father would be proud I went out like this…sad"

Naruto closed his eyes and was expecting for whatever the palace's lady might want to do. He was surprised when he was being hugged in a protective manner by Mikoto.

"You looked so lonely when you stared at me and my son?"

Naruto opened his eyes in shock; he was actually feeling lonely at that time? And in an instant she knew?

Mikoto started to rub his head with her delicate fingers while Naruto remained kneeled.

"Do you have a mom Naruto?"

Naruto said no, that it has always been him, the toads and his father.

Mikoto laughed a little at the toad's thing and raised Naruto from the floor.

"Poor child, it must have been a bit lonely sometimes even with all your family around didn't it?"

Naruto did remembered times when he woke up from nightmares back at the mountain and never got back to sleep among the many shadows dancing at the moon light, no one to comfort him and he always thought his father would call him a coward for getting scared over a little nightmare. He spent many nights alone shedding tears quietly in the middle of the dark.

Unknowingly Naruto had started to shed tears as Mikoto hugged him.

Startled, Naruto had to ask.

"How did you knew?"

Mikoto wiped his tears as she answered.

"A mother just knows; sweet dreams Naruto"

Mikoto kissed his forehead and started to leave the room.

"By the way Naruto, while you are a young healthy man; you should try to have purer thoughts about women"

Naruto gulped and screamed

"Yes madam! I'll try my best!" (Yeah sure…)

With this Naruto went to sleep more peacefully than he had in many years.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

After a good night's rest, Naruto got awakened by a bright light that hit him on the eyes; Kitara was standing in front of his bed holding a tray with a small breakfast.

"Hey there sleepyhead! I brought you breakfast; hurry up, you still have to shower and get ready for the morning trainings!"

Naruto slowly registered all that and immediately began to eat the breakfast.

As Naruto munched his food he wanted to ask.

"So Kitara, why are you here, this isn't supposed to be some maid's job?"

Kitara smiled broadly

"Well you are uncle's guest so he would be glad to see you are properly taken care of"

Now leaning closer and showing some cleavage, she purred

"Besides you stated the purpose of your visit was to see me didn't you?"

Naruto almost suffocated with his food and laughed nervously

"Ha, ha, ha, you are right! (Though you were the only person I knew here)"

Kitara clapped and removed the breakfast from the table.

"Now hurry up Naruto! Get in the shower, trainings begins in 30 minutes; I'll wait here to take you there!"

Naruto wondered what was with the hurry, he still had plenty of time to get ready, well maybe the training grounds were a good distance from the palace. So without giving it much thought went to take his shower.

As Naruto walked into the shower and closed the door, Kitara jumped immediately to search through his pack and the rest of his stuff

"Sorry Naruto"

**Flashback**

_Fugaku had requested Kitara to stay a moment after dinner was over and the dinner room was emptied_

"_Kitara, I want you to keep a close eye on the Sage; I am sure he has a deeper motive to be here"_

_Kitara got very uncomfortable at where this assignment was headed_

"_Uncle, I don't think he has any ulterior motives beyond visiting and learning more about the ninja, as I said before, he just got out from the mountain and has been on the road visiting places"_

_Fugaku smiled at his niece's naivety_

"_Kitara, not any person acquires the title and skill of Sage; he certainly looks quite clueless but deception is the lifeblood of all ninja arts. Get him to trust you and figure out his real intentions about his presence among us, we are very close to that date and we can't afford interruptions"_

_Kitara dropped her head_

"_I understand uncle, I'll do my best, but what if he truly doesn't have any secret agenda? What should we do with him?"_

_Fugaku stood up from the table and walked past his niece_

"_Then we keep him out of the loop and get him away from our lands as soon as possible"_

**End Flashback**

Kitara went through most of Naruto's stuff only to sigh relieved, nothing of his belongings seemed deceptive or pointed at some secret mission. But still his stuff didn't made a complete clearance; she would need to open Naruto up to her and extract any piece of information he may be withholding, Genjutsu was out of the question given the last time it backfired, that was probably some kind of emergency defense implanted in his subconscious to stop genjutsus or mind reading skills from digging too deep into him.

Kitara shivered at the unpleasant memory but smiled as Naruto stepped out from the bathroom sporting his pants only. This made her blush a little, at least getting him to trust her would be fun.

Kitara led Naruto through the large hallways of the palace towards the training grounds on the back of the palace grounds, Naruto was very thankful of having a guide this time, not even a map would have been enough to get there in time.

Naruto was very excited when he saw the large training yard, it was at least 30 times bigger than Shikamaru's and had a ton of different exercise grounds and obstacle courses. Kitara led him straight to the combat arena, where Fugaku, his family and a lot of ninja clad in black and blue waited patiently.

Naruto was very nervous to be before such audience, all of them seemed like veteran warriors or exceptionally skilled ninja; Kitara led him to the center of the arena and gave his shoulder a light squeeze "Good luck" and left to take a seat among the rest of the ninja.

Fugaku stood and announced

"Brothers and Sisters of the Uchiha, today's training schedule have a very unique opportunity to test ourselves against a true Sage; as you all know a Sage is different kind of ninja with skills, jutsu and power unlike any other. If the Sage is kind enough some of our clansmen wishes to have a friendly sparring match with you"

Naruto gulped down, form all the possible scenarios this wasn't certainly in them, he was expecting for a good training session of excercises an perhaps a few demonstrations. But then again what better chance to do that all at the same time than in a real fight.

"It's fine with me my lord as long as it remains friendly and with no killing blows"

Fugaku smiled, he now had the chance to observe the Sage's prowess and perhaps, learn a couple of unique moves to give the Uchiha a greater edge in combat

"So who wishes to be the first opponent?"

Fugaku frowned, no one was actually willing to fight a Sage, their reputation as legendary warriors placed a dent in anyone's courage. Fugaku was about to request a veteran to step up but saw Sasuke's hand raised and the boy was almost jumping off his seat.

Fugaku was surprised to say the least, the boy had fire in his eyes and seemed more than willing to face off the Sage; but as his son and Itachi's younger brother, if he was bested and far worse easily, it would represent a blow towards his reputation and high standing among the rest of the clan.

In the end Fugaku decided to play safe and instead chose Kakashi, whom he threatened to be early, to face the Sage. Kakashi got to the arena vey annoyed and with a bored expression as he closed his orange book.

Naruto knew he was one of the best ninja among the Uchiha but beyond that he didn't knew what to expect, he had fought against Tsunade in trainings but she never used ninjutsu as she is a close quarters fighter. Kakashi was probably a multipurpose warrior and there most be a reason of why he got such standing among the Uchiha, the best strategy would be to try and overpower him quickly since he didn't seemed very enthusiastic with the battle itself.

Before they began Kakashi warned Naruto.

"You may call yourself a Sage but you are still a boy, so unless you come at me with the intent to kill you will be thoroughly humiliated"

Naruto popped a vein at his arrogance, how could he be so certain when nothing was in the ninja world!

"Don't worry about me! I always give it my all!"

Pleased at how riled up the people and Naruto were he ignited his Sharingan made the starting signal.

Without losing a moment Naruto sprinted towards Kakashi who seemed surprised by Naruto's speed and barely dodged Naruto's fist who in turn spin and tried to deliver a back kick which Kakashi had to block using both hands. The force of the kick pushed him back a few meters back.

"Is that enough killing intent for you Cyclops!"

Kakashi rubbed his hand as the kick left it a bit numbed

"Well seems like you will be a handful one" at this Kakashi removed his eye patch to reveal his active Sharingan.

Naruto was confused, why did he have only one Sharingan when everyone else had two and could activate them at will

"What the hell! Isn't your surname Hatake! How come you have the Sharingan!"

"Don't worry about that now, you are in combat and the battle just went one notch higher"

At this Kakashi disappeared and reappeared at Naruto's right side delivering a powerful left backhand that threw Naruto a good 5 meters away.

"So fast, I barely noticed his movement; but I did saw his hand coming"

Naruto quickly got to his feet and readied himself as Kakashi disappeared again; this time Naruto jumped up to avoid Kakashi's attack but couldn't see him anywhere.

"You really think I would use twice the same attack!" Kakashi spoke behind Naruto as he was delivering a drop kick.

Naruto managed to raise his hands and blocked the powerful kick. Naruto wasn't done as he grabbed Kakashi's leg, surprising him, and threw him towards the ground with all his might.

Kakashi flew straight to the ground surprised again at the sheer force Naruto managed to get in that position, he managed to get into a better landing position only to see Naruto create a shadow clone and threw the real one towards him.

Kakashi managed to land hard on the ground and went through several hand signs "Head hunter Jutsu"; at this he grabbed the incoming Naruto and interred him to the neck into the ground.

"Well fought but you are still far from defeating hmpf!" as Kakashi was speaking another Naruto had fallen punching him in the gut.

The real Naruto had thrown the clone towards Kakashi, and when he landed took the opportunity to land and move directly at Kakashi as he interred the clone.

Kakashi took a while to recover he had certainly overestimated Naruto, he was terribly creative and the most preoccupying thing was his careless use of shadow clones; That meant his chakra reserves were very high, way higher than his own, so a long fight would only result in victory for Naruto. A quick decisive move was what he needed.

Naruto, on the other hand analyzed Kakashi; he was clearly dangerous specially in close quarters where he seemed to be very smart for quick maneuvering, he wasn't using ninjutsu for some reason, perhaps waiting for an opening or didn't have the right one to catch him. Naruto's best strategy would be to keep Kakashi at a distance and win the fight from afar.

Naruto created 4 shadow clones that started running in perfect sync one behind the other straight to Kakashi. The first one threw a barrage of shuriken in Kakashi's direction, Kakashi knew that Naruto wanted him to get in the move but not for what purpose so he jumped to the left at which a second clone was already heading straight to him at a higher speed.

Kakashi managed to dodge the blow from the clone and dispelled it with a chop to the neck, but was forced to move again as another barrage of shuriken came at him. As Kakashi back flipped to avoid the projectiles he thought "Clever boy, he sensed I was aiming for a quick resolution, he is going to keep me away from the real one; but how does he plans to end this?"

Kakashi braced himself when 2 clones went after him in a quick close quarter's battle that had him very occupied since his fighting style was like nothing he had seen before. As he was busy fending off Naruto's attack he managed to hear "Water bullet Jutsu!"; just in the nick of time he dodged a blow from one clone and used him to jump into the air effectively getting out of harm's way as the rather large water bullet crashed into a wall of the arena making a large mark on it. But as he started to spin a large gust of wind propelled him out of control onto some ninja on the seats.

Apparently the real Naruto was one of the clones that went in close quarters and took the chance to fire a wind burst when Kakashi jumped and paid attention to the clone that shot the water bullet.

Naruto was ecstatic; he had just defeated an incredible ninja who actually made him nervous for a second. But he was worried about the power he had used on his jutsus, he was so excited through the battle that he went faster and faster and when he shot that water bullet he had first intended to hit him to unbalance him, not crush him against the wall

And the wind burst wasn't either a moderate one, it was almost an explosion blast that could have throw him much farther away. He wondered if such a high level battle actually influenced him unconsciously to use more chakra than he wanted; Jiraiya had always pointed out how limitless was his energy.

Everyone on the arena was surprised to see Kakashi barely conscious and dizzy over his strange defeat, the Sage had managed to outsmart Kakashi one of their best and one of the few that could face Itachi if only briefly.

Fugaku was very nervous, the Sage did not only defeated one of his best agents but did so in a relative short amount of time, using two mid level jutsus and barely breaking a sweat in the process. Legends of the Sage's power that once seemed exaggerated now sounded but the most proven truth!

Fugaku declared the exercises over and went back to the palace to concentrate on more important matters of the near future.

Naruto reached Kakashi and apologized for manhandling him like that.

"Don't worry Naruto I know you meant no real harm during the battle, besides I think you were holding back; Sages truly are fearsome warriors"

Sasuke got the last part of the conversation and kept hearing intently.

"But Naruto, in the future try not to hold back in a real battle; in the chaos of battle even a lucky rookie can fell an enemy commander. And to tell you the truth I also held back since I never sensed any killer intent from you; you should let out some of it from time to time, it makes weaker ninja and bandits to wet their pants or make them think twice before attacking you"

Naruto thought about it, truly did such a thing existed? An instinct that could be felt by other living creatures? Sounded useful but had no idea how to perform it, so he would ask about it later.

Sasuke got tired of the friendliness between Naruto and his sensei and stepped up

"Hey dobe! Did you truly hold back! Why!"

Naruto still reeling from the battle high answered calmly

"Well if you must know JERK! If I had tried to fight more intensely and with my full arsenal this arena wouldn't have been enough to contain the battle!"

Sasuke knew he wasn't lying, he had seen Itachi's full power once and it wasn't something to be trifled with. This presented a chance for him, if he played nice with Naruto he might willing to tell him a trick or two to increase his power and perhaps reach Itachi's level.

Sasuke took air and sighing spoke in his most friendly manner (Which is barely neutral at best)

"Listen Dob- Naruto, we began with the wrong step here, let me invite you lunch since training has been canceled for today. I know a place in the lower city where they cook some great fish"

Kakashi knew Sasuke was up to something but he wasn't a bad boy (yet) so he said nothing maybe he could find in Naruto a real friend for a chance.

Naruto smiled from ear to ear and happily agreed to the invitation.

Soon the two boys departed towards the civilian sector of the city as Kitara watch them from afar

"Damn it Sasuke! How am I supposed to carry out my mission! Well I will just follow close and see what I can get"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Is it true Shisui?" Hiruzen is finally meeting his end?

"Yes my lord, it's an increasing rumor among the Sarutobi; the Professor is ill and his life runs short as we speak"

"Excellent! This only makes it more easy; excellent work Shisui you may leave"

**AN: I am so sorry for not updating during weekend but a bunch of annoying relatives crashed unannounced at my place and screwed all my plans for the weekend!**

**Anyway here is chapter 12, much more interaction with the Uchiha and a conspiracy!**

**Sorry if it seems a bit short and more flawed than usual but I am still angry and very distracted because of my relatives.**

**What do you think of the fight? I know it needs a lot or work but I am not so good on those any advice is welcomed.**

**Expect next chapter also around a week from now, I have found it's very hard to write about the Uchiha as the militaristic power I portrayed them to be.**

**Next chapter will have a better interaction between Sasuke and Naruto and will explain some darker aspects of the Uchiha.**

**Enjoy, read and please review!**


	14. Making a Friend

**Chapter 13: Making a friend.**

As both youngsters walked back into the lower city they received a lot of surprised stares from a lot of people, not every day you see royalty escorting a hyperactive blonde who kept staring at every product and every store. Indeed Naruto was amazed by the large amount of goods in the stores, many things he had never seen before; books, fabrics, food, clothing and even armor.

Sasuke was terribly annoyed by his behavior jumping at everything he saw, now he did believed he has been secluded so far.

"Would you calm down Naruto! You are making a scene and an embarrassment out of yourself!"

"What are you talking about? I am just browsing through all this wonderful stuff"

The last comment made the traders feel proud of their trades not everyday a prince and his guest come down to the market.

"A question Sasuke; If you are royalty and could have whatever you want at your palace, why come down to town to grab a bite?"

"That's hardly your business…"

At this comment Naruto casted his sight to the ground seeming a bit sad

Sasuke just sighed and replied

"But if you have to know, back when I was 5 I pulled a tantrum over a training I wanted to perform and was forbid of trying; I ran and ran until I couldn't anymore, I found myself lost in the middle of the market. I got really scared and no one stopped to help me since I wasn't very known back then, night came down and I was still in the same place, until a middle aged couple came and took me with them to their newly opened food stand; there they feed me and sent their young boy to get a guard and retrieve me"

"They were very surprised at finding out who I was, the second son of one of the Uchiha lords and begged for forgiveness if they had acted out of place; but my mom calmed them and actually had me, Itachi, Kitara and even father come to eat there a few times after that incident. It's been a while since we came as a family but I come down here every now and then when I want something different"

Naruto gave him a wide smile that got Sasuke a bit annoyed

"What's with the smile?"

"Nothing just that you really are a good guy, even if you act like a jerk sometimes"

"Dobe…"

Both finally arrived at the food stand which was now a considerable restaurant with lots of customers and a delicious scent everywhere, Naruto and Sasuke came in and where greeted by a pretty hostess that immediately recognized who was the honored customer.

She had them seated at a nice table looking out to a window, Sasuke ordered his usual meal while Naruto, who was drooling over the menu, ordered one plate or every meal available. The hostess was shocked and looked back at Sasuke who just nodded in approval.

Naruto impressed every patron who just stopped eating just to watch every plate sent to him disappear in a matter of seconds. When he had gone through every available plate in the restaurant Naruto just patted his stomach and seemed very content.

"That was impressive young man" Spoke behind him the owner of the restaurant with a broad smile.

"Seems you have an interesting companion Lord Sasuke"

"Hi Mr. Sansei, it's good to see you; and yes he is quite the interesting fellow"

Naruto seeing the restaurant owner came to greet them stood up and bowed

"Sir that was the best fish dishes I have tasted in my life!"

"Why thank you, we take pride on it; Lord Sasuke you seem to have made a good well mannered friend"

Sasuke was a bit surprised, no one had ever said he had friends; everyone treated him with the respect his position demanded but truly Naruto seemed to don't care and actually fought back all his taunts. Not knowing what to do he stood up, thanked the man for the food and paying he grabbed Naruto and went back to the streets.

Naruto was a bit surprised by their quick leaving and commented

"You know? We could have stayed a little if you wanted time to talk to the owner"

"Yeah but I want you to know more of the city and I always speak with them, one day won't hurt his feelings"

"As you wish Sasuke; so where are we going now?"

"Walk around, I would like to know more about the Sages and your travels; believe it or not I barely leave the city, so I was curious"

Naruto smiled widely at that.

"Sure thing! Ask away Sasuke!"

"Ok, so where is your home?"

Naruto got into a wise position

"From the point my father dropped me on the north he said it would take a month of nonstop travelling to get back walking, so I should forget about going back that way. If they ever need me they can summon me back and I will be there in a sec"

"Summon you back? Like some of the animal summons some ninja posses?"

"Yup, in reality the summoning contract works both ways but since summons have little need to have their associates with them they don't summon them often; in my case they said they would summon me in case of emergency"

"I see, so where did you go first in your travels? Kitara said you were with the Senju when she met you"

"That's right, the first place I visited was Green Keep, and Sakura-chan dragged my unconscious body back to the city when I fainted in their forest"

Sasuke stopped dead on his tracks at hearing Sakura's name, making Naruto stop and turn around.

"Something wrong Sasuke?"

"You know Sakura Haruno!"

Naruto blushed a little and happily replied

"Well yes I do, she is a very precious person to me, why do you ask? You know her too! Isn't she awesome!"

Sasuke begged to differ, his encounter with said Amazon occurred 10 years ago during the armistice signing. Good bad boy Sasuke was the center of attention for most girls during the negotiations and Sakura was one of her many fan girls, as usual he dismissed everyone at first glance since he was only interested in reaching his brother's level, but she and Ino were particularly stubborn and kept their advances on him for many days.

Been tired of that situation and being constantly interrupted during his make shift training regimes decided to take drastic measures to ensure those two stopped bothering him, so he prepared a trap that would leave both girls covered in easily removable paint (he didn't wanted them coming later to kill him) so that they understood he wasn't interested.

The trap was a success and both girls left him alone for the rest of his staying at Three Peaks, but by the end of the armistice signing and his departure he noticed both girls approaching him timidly, he supposed they were going to apologize for being so annoying (uhuh) so he lowered his guard and waited. Ino looked a bit hesitant but Sakura had a terrifying scowl on her face and a vein popping out from her forehead and in a flash she was directly in front of him and the next thing he heard before all lights went out was a loud CHA!

Afterwards Sasuke still fears the single mention of her name and her current reputation didn't helped to ease his mind over the years (common! Punches that make your insides implode!)

Sasuke came back from his thoughts when Naruto started shaking him

"Hey Sasuke you alright! You just got paler than usual and started to sweat! Is it about Sakura?"

Sasuke scratched the back of his head and just dismissed his previous thoughts

"So Naruto what was your relationship with Sakura? Did she punched the living lights out of you?"

Naruto blushed a little.

"Well she did a couple of times but I kind of disserved them, so no hard feelings besides she is an incredibly beautiful woman with great skill as a ninja"

Sasuke begged to differ but didn't argued that since he had seen recent pictures of Sakura on the intelligence reports and even he spared a couple of long glances at her legs, as for her skill, well she is the gifted student of a legendary ninja like Tsunade Senju so there was little to be said about how good she is.

"And what's your story with her?"

Blushing madly but being in the confidence of male company he started

"Well at the beginning she and her master were very odd and constantly argued about who would spend more time with me, I thought that people were just too friendly since they were the first people besides my father I ever laid eyes upon. But as time passed my bonds with Sakura became stronger, she taught me a lot, trained with me, even comforted me; I ended up loving her small smile an those big green eyes of her. Eventually she and I kissed and it made me really happy it was amazing!"

"And during the mission were I met your cousin, well she, her sensei and I, well… hah hah hah"

Sasuke got curious and remembered a thing Kitara mentioned about sages being "Resilient"

"Common dobe, what did you three did? Some training or something fun during your mission?"

"Well it was fun indeed, is having sex supposed to be fun?"

Sasuke just tripped and fell face first to the ground and stammered

"W-W-What! You had sex with Sakura and her sensei!"

At this several ninja walking just stopped and wondered what the young lord spoke, all they could hear was the word SEX.

Naruto panicked and picking him up from the ground whispered

"You idiot! You don't scream that thing in public is bad manners towards women! Don't you have had sex before!"

Sasuke blushed at such strange question and weakly replied

"No dobe I haven't…"

After the awkward moment both youngsters just kept walking in silence, Sasuke was considering the possibility of courting a woman; after all the great ninja he knew have had a boyfriend or a girlfriend at some point, Kitara was shameless about the many men she seduced, used (money) and left right before consummating anything (what a bitch!), Kakashi was a known playboy who often went to town and returned the next day with a perverted glee and smelling of perfume and even Itachi had some lipstick on his shirts from time to time!. Now a Sage barges into town and proclaims he seduced two of the most powerful woman in the world!

Conclusion: Sex gives power (Not the kind of power he wants though!)

Kitara meanwhile kept following them from rooftop to rooftop and by reading their lips she could figure everything they said. And so far this was her best day in years; she had to admit that those two made quite a comic duo but most importantly it made her happy to see someone trying to make friends with her baby brother. Sasuke always pushed others away in his eternal struggle to reach Itachi's level and his father's recognition, this in turn had turned him into a rather cold, impatient and constantly angry person, he sure laughed often but it was at others expense, and though many considered him very strong it wasn't enough, at least until he heard it from his father and brother. Itachi would always compliment Sasuke's efforts and call him to also enjoy the peaceful time he lived in, but never agreed to spar with him as for Fugaku, he just didn't had eyes or ears for Sasuke, marveled at Itachi's prowess and filled with insecurities over his ascension to leadership ten years ago. Kitara just wanted Sasuke to actually smile and be content for once, she knew war and lost her parents to it, so she wanted him to be free of that burden while he could.

Back to Naruto and Sasuke, they had kept walking in awkward silence until approaching the main plaza of the city were a large number of citizens gathered to enjoy the final hours of day and take a rest from the day's chores. As both just kept walking through the plaza and still in silence, Naruto noticed a couple of young girls their age that looked hot and looking in their direction. At this Naruto just had a brilliant idea to sheer Sasuke up after their little fall out.

"Hey Sasuke! Stop for a second and turn your eyes discretely to your left"

Sasuke remembering his ninja training thought Naruto perceived a threat in that direction

"Sasuke turned his eyes towards the two females looking at them with hungry eyes" this got Sasuke a bit nervous, if they were actual enemy ninja, this would be his first real danger situation with enemy ninja and especially ninja skilled enough to intrude undetected.

Naruto saw Sasuke´s nervousness and decided to take the lead, if everything went right they would end the day with a good memory and Sasuke would be more confident and perhaps a bit less moody.

"Don't worry Sasuke, I am fairly experienced at this so follow my lead, be smooth and don't blow it!"

Sasuke gulped "Alright let's do this!" a bit excited over a true opportunity to test himself.

Kitara on her watching position just couldn't believe her eyes, Sasuke just agreed with Naruto and apparently both were going to hit on some girls and see if they get lucky. Kitara was beaming with joy, finally her little Sasuke-chan was interested in something else than training and getting stronger. She would give Naruto a night to remember if he managed to make Sasuke a bit happier; but she stopped her own happy thoughts when realized the hungry looks on the girls, Naruto's own experience with women, and Sasuke's virginity!

"He wouldn't go that far right! Naruto obviously had a thing going on with the Haruno so sex was alright, right! Sasuke would have better judgment, right!"

Kitara panicked over one little detail about Sasuke

"He never backs down from a challenge! If Naruto presented Sasuke with a challenge he would go all the way down to the last consequences!"

Kitara calmed down and decided to intervene just in case things got too heated. Sasuke's first time wouldn't be with a horny stranger!

Back to the guys,

Naruto relaxed his shoulder and plastered an enticing smile on his face (thanks Jiraiya!) Sasuke followed closely trying to imitate Naruto as best as he could; all he got was a nervous smile. Naruto spoke first to break the ice and see if there was any chance at all.

"Hey ladies, my friend and I here were wondering if you might want some company for the evening; cities can be dangerous places at night and we happen to be ninja with the sworn duty of protecting the beautiful wonders of this world"

Both girls giggled at the rather lame pick up tactic but they were more interested on the boys and any excuse is good. The shortest girl, with deep green eyes and light brown hair approached Naruto and gave quite the view of her body as she twirled a little. The taller red head with blue eyes made her move towards Sasuke and just stood by his side allowing a good sight of her cleavage.

Sasuke panicked a little at the rather new experience but remained calm as Naruto seemed to move more naturally around the female; Naruto would probably lead them to a more secluded area and give the signal to incapacitate them and take them prisoners.

Naruto on his side was quite pleased, his tactic worked, got a nice looking girl to be with for a few hours and Sasuke remained there without getting angry so that meant everything was right on track.

"So? Where this two gallant ninja are going to take us to spend the evening?" asked the red head who got a bit impatient at Sasuke's lack of response while seeing her friend already with Naruto's hand on her hip.

Naruto seeing her displeasure answered quickly "My friend Sasuke here knows the city best, I am sure he knows a GREAT PLACE TO TAKE A LADY, right!"

Sasuke saw that exaggeration as a signal to lead them all to a nice secluded place where they could take them out discreetly.

"Sure I know a GREAT PLACE exactly for that" and imitating Naruto's behavior placed his hand on the red head's hip as well. He blushed madly at this but for the sake of being better he would endure it.

Both girls were now more content and each leaned on their respective "date" as Sasuke lead them through some streets and later to some alleys that had fewer people and a few small café's

The girls were expecting some HOT COFFEE action seeing the secluded area so when they tried to excuse themselves to apply some lipstick and get "ready". Sasuke fearing their cover was blown suddenly disappeared and in a flash knocked them out with single strikes to their soft necks.

Both girls fell to their knees after the attack while Naruto just couldn't believe what had happened, and Kitara nearly fell from a rooftop at the surprise.

"What the HELL WAS THAT SASUKE!" screamed Naruto on Sasuke's face while looking very scared.

Sasuke didn't get it, why was he mad? He had anticipated the enemy's move to escape and thwarted it "What are you talking about! I stopped them from escaping! Now we can take them back into captivity"

Kitara couldn't believe her eyes, Sasuke was a potential rapist all along? And wanted Naruto to take part as well! She was about to jump in but saw Naruto's reaction.

"What are you talking about! They aren't enemies or something, they were just a couple of girls looking for fun and they had their sights on us! I thought if I got you out in a "lucky" situation you would lighten up for a chance!"

Sasuke noticed his mistake but grew extremely angry at Naruto for doing something uncalled for.

"What! And who the hell you think you are to get me in such situation, you should have told me what were your plans; besides I never asked for any of this, I am not interested in these things, if you wanted to make my day you should have better told me how to get strong like you!"

At this Sasuke disappeared in whirl of dust before Naruto could answer

"I thought I was your friend…"

Kitara landed a second later to find a crestfallen Naruto as he tried to place the sleeping girls into a more comfortable position and wait for them to wake up and apologize properly.

"So your little outing didn't go well right?"

Naruto just acknowledged her presence and quietly answered as he slid his coat under the girl's heads.

"Quite obvious, I mean no offense, but what the hell is his problem? Father always said that women helped men to raise their spirits"

Chuckling Kitara answered

"While that is true for most men, Sasuke is a different case; he has never been like most. All his life he has struggled to be the best ninja he can even before he witnessed Itachi's power. He barely cares for anything else beyond that; he is by most standards a genius and in time he will reach the status of elite and be one of the best our village has seen in generations. Truthfully uncle Fugaku's sons are the most powerful Uchihas born in a long time."

Naruto took this deeply but something confused him

"But Itachi seems so normal and peaceful, how come Sasuke is so driven in his quest for power?"

Kitara sat next to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sasuke's family is of a different breed of Uchiha; what I mean is that uncle Fugaku was never meant to be clan leader in the first place"

Naruto turned with a surprised face to Kitara who in turn returned a sad smile and that was enough to shut him up.

"During the last war, all of the major powers in the Land of Fire were locked in constant never ending combat. There were three fighting fronts for all the powers involved and no clear victor in sight. Heavy losses was the only certain thing during those days of utter chaos; my father, Kanbei was the clan leader and along his twin brother Janbei were our most powerful warriors and leaders at the frontlines. Uncle Fugaku was their younger brother but unlike them he was never among the most powerful, at best he was a blue rank ninja and many said he achieved that rank out of respect for his brothers, and that he got married with aunt Mikoto out of pity for his weakness"

"During the final days of the confrontation Hiruzen Sarutobi had managed to pact peace with the Senju and the Hyuga, but the Uchiha felt strong enough to keep going and thought Sarutobi peace talks as way to lick their wounds. Foolishly my father and uncle leading a unit of our elite infiltrated the enemy territory seeking to cut down the other clan leaders heads and thus sending them into chaos and paving the way for an easy victory. But Hiruzen met their challenge and once again rose victorious. The entire party was annihilated and the remains of my father and uncle returned to us"

"Uncle Fugaku saw his chance and quickly took over the mantle of clan leader arguing the need of a leader to negotiate with the opposing powers. No one dared to question him at the time over the shock of the loss of our beloved leaders and because Itachi always stood by his side, and back then he was already a fearsome ninja. Uncle Fugaku negotiated peace and the armistice you probably have heard before was signed, 10 long years has passed since then and though peace is fragile the memories of war still looms heavily on most leaders and ninja"

Naruto nodded at all this but still his original question remained unanswered for what Kitara sat closer to him

"Itachi had seen 4 years of war and I had seen 2, back when the armistice was signed; Sasuke was only 7 so he never had the chance to see or experience war. Back then ninja didn't abandoned academy at 14 like nowadays but at 12 and were sent to the front lines soon after, that's why me and Itachi did saw action. It was during this time that Itachi revealed himself to be a genius of unparallel talent and quickly rose in rank, skill, reputation and death toll during those 4 years since he left the academy. Uncle Fugaku was ecstatic as well as many others in the clan, no one ever expected much from his offspring yet Itachi proved to be at a whole different level than many of us has seen before"

"Uncle Fugaku used Itachi's might to secure his position as clan leader, since every Uchiha wanted someone strong as Itachi to lead them in the future. Because of the attention and effort uncle Fugaku placed on Itachi, an abandoned Sasuke developed a strong desire to earn his father's recognition and be equals with his brother, since then nothing that won't help him achieve such power and recognition interests him. And among those things are friends, women, fun and pretty much anything else"

Naruto retorted "But I have seen him smile and laugh he doesn't seem that obsessed"

Kitara leaned her head on his shoulder "That would be thanks to aunt Mikoto, Kakashi and my own efforts. We don't want to see Sasuke turned into a maddened fighting machine, so we give him solace, some fun (at his expense) and I tease him to no end"

"But no matter how much we try, every time uncle Fugaku ignores him or Itachi leaves for a mission, Sasuke goes back to his power monger attitude instantly and takes a long time to get him out of it"

Naruto a bit confused about a detail asked "If Itachi is such a gentle person? Why not train Sasuke himself to reach his dreams? I bet that would make him happy to no end"

Kitara closed her eyes and continued "Even if Itachi is a fearsome warrior and could easily take out most ninja out there, he was deeply scarred by the war; he has confided to me and his mother the reasons of why he won't train Sasuke is because he doesn't want to turn him into killer like himself, he wants Sasuke to enjoy, embrace, and value peace above everything else, to train him would just fire him up to seek conflict and battle to test himself. He wants Sasuke to be a leader of peace, he says that only those souls not tainted by war can heal this world"

"But this hurts Sasuke since he believes Itachi to not want to share his secrets in order to never lose his position as the strongest before the clan and his father. Sasuke will become very strong perhaps he will be stronger than Itachi someday, but I fear the kind of man that will turn out after he achieves that"

Naruto pondered upon all this, he could only try to imagine Sasuke's frustration, frustration over a Jutsu that takes time to perfect is one thing and it leaves once you make it, but to try an achieve something impossible or not worth enough was maddening.

"And any of this has been made known to your uncle? I mean he is his father after all, he should try to help Sasuke even if it is only with a bit of encouragement"

Kitara once again became sad

"I am afraid that uncle does knows this and says it's for the better since Sasuke will achieve great things thanks to such powerful motivator"

Naruto was very surprised, a father being so cruel to his own child, Jiraiya was mean sometimes but never allowed any harm to get him and always encouraged him of gave him some sort of comfort. "Bu he is his father! He should…"

Kitara just grabbed his arm and started to cry a bit

"Don't Naruto, you are a foreigner and you were lucky to have a loving father as you grew up, but among Uchiha is not love what drives us but strength, pride and power, love is left for children and we stopped being that a long time ago"

"Why are your people like this Kitara?"

"Madara Uchiha's teachings. Basically the Uchiha will meet their end if we ever allow ourselves to be weak, if we join another clan; power is the only way the Uchiha can survive"

Naruto tried to reply but Kitara just placed her tender finger on his lips

"It's very sweet you have those feelings and a heart big enough to try and help us, but there are some battles one have to fight alone and Sasuke has to realize that as Itachi once did"

"And what battle is that?"

"The battle that lets you go beyond all battles, once you leave conflict behind peace is all what's left"

"Have you won that battle yet?"

"Nah, there is still many battles and many lessons ahead of me, but knowing the goal is a huge part of winning!"

"Who taught you this?"

"Itachi did after my first kill, I felt so bad that I almost took my own life, but he stopped me and saved me"

"But you killed all those guys on the boat?"

"I am still far from victory, and those guys had it coming!"

You are weird…

I know…

**AN: Done!**

**For a second I thought I wouldn't be able to finish this chapter at all, is like I almost had a writer's block last week but I came through!**

**Naruto fails at making friends and Sasuke is an awful wing man. Some NaruKitara development and more Uchiha insights.**

**Next chapter the happy bunch goes to a mission! Lots of action, some training and a bit more of romance!**

**Expect next chapter sometime this week of early next week.**

**As always read, enjoy and review!**


	15. Violent Waves

**Chapter 14: Violent Waves**

After a long and expensive apology, Naruto and Kitara departed the very angry girls Sasuke knocked out before. Night had already fallen upon them and all the street lamps were lit making a nice main street towards the Uchiha main district.

On their path both didn't spoke once, Naruto was still embarrassed about his falling with Sasuke and Kitara felt guilty about revealing so much of her family to an stranger, Naruto was just too trustworthy looking.

Upon returning to the Uchiha palace a guard had requested their presence before Lord Fugaku; Naruto and Kitara were confused, no dinner or special event was planned for the night.

Once both had reached the inner chamber Fugaku was seated dressed in his clan leader robes as well as Mikoto, before them stood already Kakashi waiting for them apparently.

"I am glad you could make it back in time" said Fugaku while having a servant hand them a picture.

Mikoto seeing how they arrived together just had to tease them a little

"Hope my husband didn't interrupt anything fun you two were doing"

Naruto went red and started to stammer while Kitara just sighed knowing her aunt would say something like that.

"Ahem!" Fugaku cleared his throat out loud to call the attention once again.

"I have gathered you because an urgent call for aid has reached us; a small nation called the Land of Waves is currently in negotiations with our people in order to establish trade between us, their land and some neutral regions of the Land of Water. Nonetheless this town is under threat from which we have come to suspect are the Momochi Raiders"

At their mention Naruto and Kitara straightened up and paid close attention as Fugaku continued

"The picture I gave you is that from who we suspect might be the current Momochi Raiders operative in the Land of Waves; his or her name are unknown as well as his or her face, though according to our spy network a person of such characteristics has been seen in several conflicts within the Land of Water so this ninja might be a high ranking member of the raiders, perhaps directly involved with Zabuza Momochi himself"

The picture was taken on a battle field and it showed a lone ninja standing between several corpses, the ninja had a white mask with red stripes running through it, long straight black hair and bulky clothes that hid any possible gender identification.

Kakashi raised his hand a bit interested in the whole affair

"What is this ninja's purpose in the Land of Waves my Lord?"

Fugaku slumped back on his chair "Tazuna, the current leader of the Land of Waves, is building a bridge that would connect their lands with ours and the neutral shores of the Land of Water; according to his account the Raiders wishes him to stop the construction since it would ruin several smuggling operations and improve vigilance on all three sectors"

Kakashi growing suspicious about the summoned members asked again

"If it's a lone ninja shouldn't a red or a blue team help as guards until the construction is done?"

Fugaku frowned "The issue is that this morning after training we received notice that the blue team guarding the bridge banished, as always we assumed they were taken out by the raider so an elite black team is bound to be dispatched. I want you and Kitara to take care of this raider and if possible capture him alive; I would like to deliver a deathly blow to those arrogant pests!"

Fugaku smiling then turned to Naruto

"Lord Sage if you are kind enough, I would request your help in this mission since your presence would guarantee its success"

Naruto didn't doubt for a second "My Lord! I was going to ask to join; those Raiders owe me big time for their actions! I thank you deeply for the chance!"

"Excellent! Then you three shall depart tomorrow at daybreak, you are to meet Tazuna and guard his bridge until it's finished or the threat is neutralized"

Before they retired for the night Sasuke came through the side doors, he had been listening the whole thing.

"Father! I apologize for the intrusion but I request to be placed in the mission, I want prove myself to you and the clan!

Fugaku frowned while Mikoto looked a bit nervous.

"Sasuke! You realize this is a very delicate mission? We can't afford this raider to stop the bridge's construction. Furthermore you have no experience so far dealing with such kind of foes"

Sasuke swallowed his anger and replied

"Then how am I supposed to learn if I am not given a chance. Kakashi has been training me and I train even more once we are done. Please Father, give me a chance I will make you proud, I promise!"

Fugaku knowing he finally gave Sasuke the right motivation agreed

"Fine Sasuke, you may accompany the guarding team, Kakashi will be the leader and you will obey him at all times, make me proud son!"

Sasuke's face lit up like a firework, which was the biggest smile Naruto had seen on Sasuke's face so far.

Finally as the group withdrawn for the night Mikoto requested a word with her husband.

"Darling, are you sure this is right? Sasuke may do something rash in his attempt to impress you"

"Don't worry, Kakashi, Kitara and the Sage are there, he may not have to fight at all; but if he does, it's an excellent opportunity to measure his skills, he may not be like Itachi but he might still prove worthy of his Uchiha heritage"

Mikoto frowned and raised her voice a little

"If you spent more time with him you would see how strong he is already, you do nothing but hurt him with your lack of appreciation"

Fugaku snapped at that

"My brothers always thought the last from me, like if I was a mistake that made it through birth; they always neglected me and treated me like trash, but that did nothing but encourage me to bide my time and wait to prove everyone my worth. Now I am clan leader and those two bastards are dead! Who won in the end! ME! I won, I am alive, I am leader and I will triumph where those two losers failed!"

"If I treat Sasuke similarly is because, if it worked for me it will definitely work for him, let his anger and frustration bring the best out of him, let him stand strong and show everyone his own worth"

Mikoto angrily retorted "Then why you never treated Itachi like that?"

Fugaku almost laughed "He was already strong, way too strong, he never needed anything of that; all I want is both my sons to be invincible, they will triumph where all other Uchiha's have failed before!"

Mikoto didn't say anything else, she was worried at Fugaku's last words "…Triumph where all Uchiha's have failed before…" history just pointed in one direction and she didn't liked it.

Nor did Itachi who was spying on them.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The four ninja elite squad had set sail on a small boat towards the Land of Waves where they would meet the bridge builder Tazuna and be briefed on the current situation. During the trip no one talked since Sasuke was still mad at Naruto and his double date attempt.

Naruto frowned when Sasuke glared at him.

"Hey jerk! You owe me 3000 Ryuu for the coupe of girls you knocked out!"

Sasuke became curious "And why do I owe you that!"

"Because that's what I had to pay them as an apology and not have the guards called in, you pathetic excuse for a ninja!"

Sasuke went red and screamed back "How dare you! You know who I am dobe!

Naruto stood up "Yeah! A guy who can't distinguish a regular girl wanting fun from an enemy! Seriously are you gay or something!"

Kitara snickered at that remark while Kakashi closed his book and decided to step in before those two went at it

"Ok, both of you calm down, we are in a delicate mission; Lord Sage what would your actions speak out to the rest of the world? and Sasuke your father would be disappointed at your behavior"

This got both youngsters to seat back again and ignore each other. Kitara sat next to Kakashi as he opened his book.

"That was a low blow Kakashi, you hurt their pride"

"I had to, I have the feeling that this mission will be far more complicated than we expect and I don't need a couple of kids bickering at each other over petty things; by the way, what was that about a couple of girls, money and an apology?"

Kitara rolled her eyes noticing the perverted glee on Kakashi's eye

"How about you ask them yourself pervert!" at this remark Naruto and Sasuke smiled but frowned again when they noticed each other smiling.

The rest of the voyage was spent the same way except for Kakashi who kept giggling about the possible scenarios where Naruto and Sasuke had to apologize with money to some girls…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

_Haku,_

_My orders for this mission are simple; support Gatou as much as possible without endangering yourself or revealing too much about our organization to anyone those damn Uchiha send; if needed kill Gatou, Tazuna the Uchiha ninja or yourself._

_Make sure to stop the building of that bridge at all costs or destroy it completely, the blow we suffered with Kita's demise was a hard one and gave that bitch Mei the chance to regroup at the north and now those Uchihas wish to expand their borders beyond Fire .I won't have any of that interfering with my dream!_

_Don't fail me now Haku, if you do I won't have any need for you anymore._

_ZM_

"Yes Lord Zabuza" spoke softly a young man as he burned the letter.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The boat had finally docked at the main island in the Land of Waves; said land was a small archipelago between the lands of Fire and Water, famous for the natural scenery but a very poor land with little strategic importance since the strong and unpredictable tides around the islands made for few safe sea routes thus making most trade ships to take long routes to avoid them entirely. The land survives of small fishing operations and rice plantations, mostly for self consumption, and trade with the neutral shores on the Land of Water.

Recently the Land of Waves became blessed when entrepreneur Gatou came to the island and established a large branch of his shipping company on it, At the beginning it was amazing, a lot of people got jobs to build the docks and warehouses and initially a lot of very needed products became available at the Gatou controlled stores; but it was a scam since a lot of said products were at unreasonable prices and people had to incur in debt to pay for them, they thought prosperity wouldn't stop so they didn't minded a debt here and there.

A few months after the docks where finished a great fire destroyed a large part of them only sparing a small dock that was built aside with large stone walls. Gatou was enraged at the time and blamed some "radicals" at town for destroying his large investment on this land and when people pleaded him to rebuild them he answered that he had incurred in large debts to build them since it was a gamble for the future, he would need to collect on the villagers debts to eventually rebuild them. From overnight nearly 90% of the villagers were largely indebted to Gatou and thus the Land of Waves was in his grasp, dark times rolled in turning their simple poor lives into a never ending nightmare fearing the debt collectors and the slavers who came to seek young maidens to sell.

Tazuna was one of the few villagers who didn't became indebted for he had discerned Gatou's ill intentions from the beginning, he was a patriot who loved his people and land and though he knew the Land of Waves was poor, he knew exactly the reasons for it and knew that no sound business man would be interested. In order to save his people he used his engineering knowledge form his days as member of a mercenary army the Uchiha used once during their long war in Fire, to build a great bridge that could connect Water and Fire through his land, allowing trade to become a reality and let wealth finally reach this lands.

Tazuna acquired resources from the Uchiha who remembered his days of service and loaned him the money and materials required, in exchange the bridge had to be of certain dimensions and give "special rights" to all Uchiha personnel travelling through; Tazuna knew it was for armed forces travelling to Water but he rather submit to a honorable clan than to a bunch of bandits, it was the lesser evil.

Given the presence of blue armed ninja guarding the bridge Gatou required more experienced fighters but few mercenary or Water ninja had any intention of facing a full squad of Uchiha ninja. At this time of "need" a young man with refined features offered his assistance in representation of his master in exchange for 40% of the profit made by Gatou's smuggling operations. Gatou was outraged for such proposition but knew that the Uchiha would eventually deal with him if he kept trying to stop Tazuna, and when Uchiha decide to deal with someone, it usually was a permanent solution. Gatou agreed but required the Uchiha squad to be eliminated first as a test of said ninja's skill, he wouldn't get into shady business without assurance.

The young man dressed for combat and before that day was over the four man squad was death and under the water. Gatou was pleased and the few people helping Tazuna stopped working at the bridge out of fear for the ninja, setting the bridge's completion several months back. At this time Gatou demanded Tazuna to be assassinated as well so no one stood on his way, but the young man answered that he wouldn't take orders from him and that once he had accepted to partner with his master he would send his orders eventually, until then he wouldn't lay any harm to the builder or his family, and advised against any form of attack since the builder was in league with the Uchiha, and that would give them the excuse to send an entire army to occupy the land, leaving Gatou's and his master's plans to waste.

The elite squad disembarked at a makeshift port away from the main town where Gatou's men would have lookouts for any foreigner wandering around, they were met by a young man wearing a white hat, green jumpsuit and a large crossbow strapped to his back. He introduced himself as Inari, grandson of Tazuna and the one in charge of escorting them to his home and construction site. He requested to be swift and traverse a hidden path through the outskirts of the main town to avoid unwanted attention specially that from the enemy ninja.

Once they were far from the main town, Inari took a chance to check them out.

"Hope you guys are stronger than the last squad, they didn't had much of a chance against that Water ninja"

Kakashi wondered about his tone "Did you watch the Water ninja fighting the last squad?"

Inari nodded "Yeah, watched the whole thing going down, that ninja's skill was amazing, as I said your comrades never stood a chance against him, weird thing was that the ninja took notice of my presence but left without killing me"

Kitara added "That means that this ninja is not your average Water ninja, most of them are bloodthirsty warriors who would jump at any chance to spill blood; he must be highly trained and disciplined, he is a real threat then, he will fight intelligently and his skill is already high enough to keep me or Kakashi on our toes"

Sasuke added to the conversation "Did he display any jutsus during combat?"

Inari thought about it for a moment "He did, he took 3 guys of the squad with those steel needles of his but the squad's captain gave him a better fight so he brought the captain over the water, there he made a weird hand sign and suddenly ice peaks came from bellow the captain piercing him clean, then those ice peaks quickly dissolved into water"

Naruto was surprised to hear that, his ninja lessons taught him the elements used by ninja and Ice wasn't one of them. "Ice? Is there a Jutsu capable of making Ice?

Sasuke knowing about blood lines decided to enlighten the sage, if only to humiliate him

"Water is famous for concentrating a large amount of blood lines among the ninja fighting there, such blood lines allow the ninja to perform special Jutsus only they can perform, and most commonly it allows the easier convergence of two elemental affinities, almost as a second nature, turning them into deadly opponents"

Kakashi acknowledged Sasuke's comment "Indeed, most ninja have one or two elemental affinities to which they become adept, but no master has ever combined both elements, only some blood lines allow that, for example the Uchiha has great Lightning and Fire affinities though they are yet to perform a combined Jutsu; this Water ninja must be combining Water and Wind jutsus to create Ice. As Kitara said, this opponent is dangerous; we will have to come up with an idea on how to fight such Jutsus"

Naruto not wanting to be left aside and now knowing the main principle behind wind and water Jutsus added as well "If we come into contact with him, we might need to keep him somewhere dry and hot, we are surrounded by water so it might be a good idea to keep him away from most water sources, it should make his ice jutsus less powerful"

Kakashi considered it " It's a sound plan but that might be near impossible, the bridge goes over the water and Tazuna's home is near the ocean, we might have to drag him away"

"He might try to avoid fighting us entirely" said a somber Kitara

Sasuke wondered aloud "And why would he do that?"

"Seeing his pragmatism, strategic skill and the fact that allowed Inari to escape alive, it's safe to assume he follows orders as instructed and rarely goes beyond them. If he truly is from the Momochi Raiders, the last thing he or she might want is to create a direct conflict with the Uchiha. Thinking from that perspective, the ninja´s goal is to stop the bridge building and that could be achieved in two ways, killing Tazuna, no one would dare to keep opposing Gatou if that happened rendering any Uchiha negotiations useless since uncle wouldn't send troops to a neutral land. The second choice would be to destroy the bridge itself, a large amount of resources has been committed already and restarting the process would take years in which anything could happen"

Naruto barely followed but impressed at Kitara's logical skill

"So basically we keep both the builder and the bridge safe until this ninja is taken care of?"

Kitara nodded

"Or until the bridge is completed, once it's finished uncle Fugaku would send several guarding teams to the bridge and send clan representatives to Wave and the shores of Water, making the bridge an extension of the Uchiha influence, and making the bridge a fool's target."

Inari hearing all this started to fear for his mom and granddad's life's, the Water ninja was fearsome and if he truly wanted to stop the construction all it needed was a small space and moment to do so, for a ninja that was all they needed…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Inari finally arrived o Tazuna's home which was now a medium size workers camp. Every person that was sound enough to not fall into Gatou's schemes banded along with Tazuna to build the bridge and free their land from such an evil man. Though since the water ninja attack nearly half of the workers returned home setting the bridges completion several months back already. The project remained barely alive and morale was low.

Tazuna, a 60 year old strong looking man went to greet them but was clearly surprised to see two ninja clad in black, from his days as a soldier he remembered how vastly stronger were the black ranked ninja in comparison to the blue clad ones.

"Seems like Lord Fugaku took our plea more seriously than I thought (the bastard really wants to expand his borders!) I am truly thankful, I am Tazuna your client of sorts and head engineer in charge of the bridge building; it isn't much but be welcomed to my home"

Kakashi, Kitara and Naruto bowed while Sasuke just crossed his arms but bowed when Kitara elbowed him.

Tsunami came to greet them as she was relieved to see Inari safe, she had been taking care of the cooking for the entire workforce but knew her father's struggle to be a worthy cause so she endured as well.

The team gathered to plan a strategy and also to discuss something Kakashi has been worried about.

"Ok team, our objectives are quite simple, we keep Tazuna alive and we keep the bridge untouched; I think it would be best to keep me and Kitara in charge of guarding Tazuna while you two keep the bridge safe" said Kakashi staring at the two youngsters.

"WHAT!" screamed as one Sasuke and Naruto

"You can't expect me to work together with this idiot!" screamed Sasuke while pointing at Naruto.

"Same here, who can rely on someone who hits girls!" screamed Naruto as he to signaled Sasuke.

Kakashi was about to answer but Kitara beat him to it.

"SHUT UP CRYBABIES! Seriously you sound like a couple of 12 year olds! This is a mission and it takes precedence before anything, you will do your duty and you will like it! Understood!

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and just muffled a "ok"

Naruto still displeased with the team arrangement argued "But why the teams are forced in this manner? I know I am not very experienced but I am strong, shouldn't you be working with Sasuke and Kitara with me? That way the teams would be balanced"

Kakashi nodded "That would certainly be the case normally but there are two things worrying me, one the proficiency of this ninja, if what Kitara suspects is right then his primary goal would be to kill Tazuna since it's a more available and disposable target, therefore I need Kitara to protect Tazuna since we have worked well in the past; while you and Sasuke protect the bridge which is a more defendable target and would allow for yours and Sasuke's skill to be displayed more openly, like you he is also a heavy striker" sighing "The other thing that worries me is that ever since I met you not once during combat or your constant bickering with Sasuke, have you displayed any form of killer intent while Sasuke has, which is probably why you feel so upset at his presence"

Naruto looked confused, was that really the reason why Sasuke and him kept going at each other heads?

"You don't seem to be very certain, Sasuke's killer intent is aggressive but not focused or foul as a real killer, come I will show you…"

Naruto followed Kakashi to wide area away from the camp.

"Why do we move away?" asked Naruto already feeling nervous.

"Not many ninja can focus directly their killer intent, so they just unleash it freely. Regular ninja can withhold it but civilians can't, the stronger a killer intent is, the greater the mental pressure is applied against the receiver, this can kill unprepared minds. Knowing this instinct is vital since it allows a ninja to detect threats early and curiously sharp their reflexes before battle"

Kakashi unleashed his killer intent wildly "Naruto you don't have this instinct at all and for this mission I fear you will need it!"

Naruto immediately felt the entire atmosphere going hot and heavy, his eyes became incredibly focused on Kakashi as everything else became blurry, his breathing got shorter as the pressure kept increasing, terror started to creep into his soul as he could see Kakashi's form becoming more and more threatening.

"Naruto! Focus! This is all a perception, calm down and breath slower!"

Seeing that Naruto wasn't calming down, Kakashi had no other choice but to stop, as he feared the young Sage's main flaw was his own age and lack of experience in the most subtle arts of ninja, arts that only combat can teach.

Naruto dropped to his knees panting and still very scared, he never felt such terror before in his life; he knew of scary things and his previous experiences dealing with ninja allowed him to grow a lot, but never before he felt such dread of facing an enemy, he felt so overwhelmed and powerless, like all his defenses were stripped in a second and left him open for a deathblow.

Slowly, Naruto rose from the ground still shaking and casting his gaze down, partly fearful of seeing Kakashi and partly ashamed of such poor display; he is a sage and yet he had so much to learn and overcome, Naruto didn't blamed Jiraiya for these were the lessons he needed to learn on his own, but a fair warning would have been appreciated!

Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto which made him flinch and move away hurriedly, Kakashi had seen the same reaction on Sasuke when he first taught him how to display and manage the killer intent but Sasuke took it more easily since he already knew about it and was to proud to admit his fear. Naruto on his side was pale and near a total shut down of all his senses. Kakashi felt a bit guilty of doing something like that to such a pure person but from what he knew of Sages, they were the most formidable ninja of all so it meant they knew all the terrible lessons of their trade; from Kitara´s explaining Naruto had just been abandoned to his own luck after living isolated all his conscious life.

"Naruto, are you ok? Can you walk back?"

Naruto still averting his gaze just nodded and started walking towards the camp. Kakashi quickly fell next to him as they both returned silently to the camp.

"Naruto, I won't apologize for what I did since I am a teacher as much as I am a ninja for my clan; so far you have been lucky to face medium sized enemies but the world is filled with formidable foes whose sole intention on the battlefield is to kill the enemy in front of them. They will not hesitate to use any means to kill you and you need to be prepared to fight them on equal footing, if only to have a chance of surviving"

Naruto nodded again but remained the same

"This ninja we are trying to stop is one of such foes, the men he killed were long time known comrades and hard to bring down, their only disadvantage was their lower chakra reserves, but their teamwork was well developed and their leader was about to be promoted to black rank. To be killed so easily speaks volumes of how dangerous this mission became and that no guarantee of victory exists. You are young and very strong already, as far as strength goes you are probably the stronger warrior among us, but you lack experience and knowledge only the battlefield can give"

Naruto's head went lower and just muffled "I know that all too well Kakashi sensei"

Kakashi was surprised on the sensei thing but wanting to restore a bit of enthusiasm to Naruto so he said quickly.

"But don't worry! As I said, I am a teacher so I will teach you or at least introduce you to some of the aspects you will need in your journeys!"

Naruto didn't responded but allowed a small smile to form on his lips; this calmed Kakashi as he feared damaging the sage too seriously.

Naruto and Kakashi returned to camp to have the small dinner Tsunami had managed to fix for them straining her little resources a bit farther. Naruto passed by Sasuke who shot him a smoldering glare but Naruto just went away to seat alone; Sasuke was a bit confused since it was the first time Naruto didn't answered one of his challenges.

Kakashi sat next to Kitara and close to Tazuna and his family. Kitara spoke lowly

"Did something happen? I felt your killer intent lash out wildly a moment ago and then disappear quickly"

Kakashi sighed knowing she would ask about it given her strange interest on the young Sage.

"You did notice that he doesn't have any killer intent? I gave him a taste of mine so he could try and manage it, he didn't do well"

Kitara frowned

"I suspected as much, for being a ninja he is too care free and joyous, but I wouldn't say he doesn't have one it's more like it's really hard for him to get it out"

Kakashi rose an eyebrow in a questioning manner

"When I confronted him a few weeks ago on board the Fuijin I got him under my killing genjutsu; when he didn't started drooling and drifting into death I made a chakra connection to question him within the illusion. Imagine my surprise when he did not only survived my initial assault but endured heavy sensorial torture under my illusion, but at some point when some of his most recent memories started to leak and I used them against him, something snapped within him. A huge chakra surge broke my illusions and in it I could feel the greatest rage and for a brief moment the heaviest and most malevolent killer intent I have felt so far, not even in war did I felt such a thing"

Kakashi pondered this, and just decided to keep listening

"After my illusion completely broke and I found myself without control, Naruto was already standing by my side with a tri pointed kunai ready to slid my throat open, with a little of that evil presence still lingering in his aura. My theory after better knowing Naruto, is that he isn't completely aware of such capacity and it only reacts under great emotional distress"

Kakashi added "You think it could be part of his Sage training? An undesirable byproduct or unforeseen consequence?"

Kitara frowned "It's unlikely; from the info we have on Sages there are constants among them. They have brutal chakra capacities; they have a deep connection with nature and animals, great fighting skills, holders of the original summoning scrolls, wise beyond their years and keepers of many secrets. All of this suggests people with a great inner balance and no speck of corruption on them, they never stand by anyone's side for too long. Naruto is indeed strange and very unique but I am afraid he holds secrets he doesn't know about, but his father may"

Kakashi placed down a cup of tea handed him

"You think it might be a problem? He could be a disguised threat?"

"No, he managed to stay with the Senju for a long time, and he has great control over his sage arts. But it wouldn't hurt to keep our eyes open especially when he goes into combat, emotional exaltation seems to affect his balance in combat. After all you remember the two Jutsu he shot at you during your spar"

"Yeah, the wall crumbled when we left and the wind gust nearly broke my ribs when it got me head on, he is a power to be reckoned"

Kitara sent a glance to Naruto "And yet such a good man he came to be…"

Kitara stood up and walked over to Naruto who was slowly sipping the hot tea Tsunami gave him.

"You ok Naruto? You seem a bit distraught"

Naruto smiled at her concern "Kakashi sensei can be scary if he wants to"

Kitara chuckled while seating closer "Yeah he can be when he wants. But what about the sensei thing?"

Naruto sat straighter "Father said to be respectful to those who teach you things willingly, sensei is the deserved honorific for such people"

Kitara laughed at his simplicity "Sounds like your father is a wise but simpleminded person"

Naruto laughed now much more relaxed "Nah, he always said I was the simpleminded one and that he had to dumb down things so I could get them properly. He always acted angry for that but I caught him smiling every time he taught me something new and I was jumping excited about it"

Kitara leaned her head on his shoulder, Naruto no longer surprised since she liked to do that a lot

"Sounds like you have a wonderful father; I would love to meet him (bad idea)"

Naruto smiled now completely gone were the fear and the shame.

"Thanks Kitara chan, you are a great friend. It feels like I can trust you, sorry if I ever thought you were mean and evil"

Kitara was a bit ticked off about his tactless remark but didn't said anything since the mood was just right and he gave her that childish but honest honorific, it had been sometime since someone said such nice and friendly things about her, and she just wanted a bit more, even if her mission implied to keep watch over him.

Naruto surprised Kitara by leaning his head on hers. "You think we will have trouble with the mission?"

Kitara with a rosy tint on her face just responded "Even if he is an elite among that band of thieves and murderers, he will face some of the best our people has to offer and you of course; let's just watch out for each other out there and we will be fine"

"Even for Sasuke?"

"Idiot, of course him as well, he may be a jerk at times but is like a little brother to me; when my dad passed away he was the first to give me comfort even if he was a small child, he has a kind heart and I know he still has it somewhere deep"

Naruto puffed his chest out "Then I promise to look out for him even if he deserves a kunai up his ass! I will keep him alive no matter what!"

Kitara chuckled but seeing the seriousness in his eyes replied

"Thanks Naruto it means a lot to know someone beyond his family cares for Sasuke"

Saying this she kissed his cheek and departed for the night

Naruto beamed with joy, he made a new friend, and he then turned to look at Sasuke who returned his gaze with an angry glare

"Hey Jerk! Tomorrow I will watch your back so you better watch mine!" screamed Naruto at Sasuke who in turn huffed and turned away. But Naruto was pleased since Sasuke allowed a small smile to curl on his lips.

Kakashi wondered about the exchange, in some ways it reminded him of his days with Obito, he just wished it wouldn't end the same way.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"So the day after tomorrow you will end them?" spoke harshly Gatou as he exhaled smoke from his cigar

"Those are my master's wishes to deal with the Bridge and those defending it as soon as possible; I would ask for your assistance in destroying the bridge once the security detail is eliminated" spoke softly the young man.

"Why can't you get them tomorrow! The longer time passes more people will start challenging me! I have muscle but nowhere near enough to subdue the entire population!" screamed Gatou

"My master is sending aid since we are likely to face stronger security this time and my presence alone would not guarantee victory; such aid arrives tomorrow by night, besides I need to pick up Intel on the enemy to device a sound strategy" once again spoke softly the young man.

"Fine! Your master better keep his promises or he will find himself struggling to make businesses between countries, given his unreliability" said Gatou as he left the ninja's room.

**AN: DONE!**

**I am so sorry for the terribly long update! My boss thought it was a great idea to send me halfway across my country to some backwater town in the middle of nowhere during the last week to do some really tedious tasks regarding a well connected client.**

**Another reason is that I have been juggling several ideas for other stories and I don't know if I should write them down if only to get them out of my head! One of such ideas was born from one of the fantastic stories made by "The Lord of the Land of Fire" who in one story touched a fantastic topic I would like further developed but probably I am going to keep it to myself since it might be stealing ideas from other authors. Just wanted people to know my little struggle.**

**Hope you like the story so far at this point.**

**Expect next update by this weekend or early next week.**

**Next chapter is the confrontation, and my first long action sequence, if you can give some pointers on it; it would be greatly appreciated.**

**Read, enjoy and review!**


	16. I want to kill you

**Chapter 15: I want to kill you…**

**Ok people, here goes my longest action sequence so be merciful!**

"Alright people, you know your assignments and hopefully you will concentrate properly on them"

Said Kakashi while sending a long look towards Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto puffed his chest "Sure thing Kakashi sensei, me and Sasuke will keep the bridge untouched! Believe it!"

Sasuke just turned his head embarrassed by Naruto's childish display while Kitara laugh lightly; Naruto could get sad but be the happiest guy after a second.

"Very well before we leave, I want to give you guys a little something from technology acquisitions at Fire Breath; these are short range comm. links and you strap them to your necks, with these we can communicate with each other in short distances without sending flares or summons. It's quite handy"

Naruto's eyes filled with stars at watching the simple devices. "WOW they are so cool! So how do they work!"

Sasuke was also interested but didn't show

Kakashi strapped his and walked a some meters away

"Grrrr…. Do you copy guys? How it sounds?"

Naruto was again mesmerized by such device and he screamed at Kakashi "It sounds a bit odd but otherwise perfect!"

"Dobe I think he wants us to respond through the device" said Sasuke as he inspected the device for a way to make it work back.

Kitara took her own and being more quick witted figured the device sooner "Look guys, you have to press the two sound boxes and then speak; copy you Kakashi loud and clear for a known pervert you came up with a good idea for once"

Sasuke laughed a little while Naruto finally strapped his comm. link and responded "Kakashi sensei, you too are a pervert? What a coincidence, my father claims to be a super pervert!"

"What!" almost screamed Sasuke and Kitara.

"Really? How can he claim that? What has he done to earn such title?" asked a rather eager Kakashi since he considered himself quite the pervert.

"Well besides claiming to have slept with dozens of women, he actually wrote a bunch of books on the matter" said a pensive Naruto seriously regarding the question.

Kakashi suddenly started to sweat, he only knew one single anonymous author (explanations later) with enough quality to claim such title.

"W-W-What are the names of the books?" Said an almost pleading Kakashi.

"The Icha Icha series I think, I read them all a few weeks ago" said Naruto casually.

"All of them? How many!" screamed Kakashi grabbing Naruto

"It was like 10 books and a bunch of unfinished writings without title" said a growingly fearful Naruto at Kakashi's almost desperate look.

"10 books and the unfinished works of the author…I have only read 4 of the series…I should have known that only a legendary character like a Sage would write such wonderful series…I am humbled" said a eerily calm Kakashi as he casted his gaze downwards.

In a second he was kneeled and his head against the ground in front of Naruto "Master please enlighten me in the ways of the pervert!"

Naruto almost jumped back "Hey, I read them all but that doesn't make me a pervert like him… does it?" asked Naruto looking at Sasuke and Kitara, who in turn looked utterly baffled and confused.

Before Kitara tried to respond something Sasuke beat her to it.

"Hell yeah you are a pervert! You tried to hook me up with a stranger! You are like a pimp!"

Naruto seemed stricken to the core, was he really a pervert and he didn't knew it? Maybe his recent behavior with women was evidence for that. The last piece of information made him crestfallen and looked defeated; he was doomed to a pervert's existence…

Kitara was just dumbfounded, before her Sasuke kept screaming insults towards Naruto's pervert side, while Kakashi clung to Naruto's leg pleading for his teachings or at least a peek at the books and Naruto looked like he was resigned to his fate.

Kitara was losing the team as Tazuna and his worker's team was approaching, she had to act swiftly. She bonked the three stooge's heads and screamed to each one.

"Kakashi! Naruto is a minor and he probably read those books at his father's orders, and being a pervert is nothing to be proud off in the first place"

"Naruto! You are a pervert if you behave like one! Do you! Naruto quickly nodded NO with all his might, though he didn't quite knew what distinguished a pervert from a non pervert man.

"And Sasuke! Naruto just tried to cheer you up as he was taught too, you should appreciate his efforts even if you don't like them, and he was just trying to be a friend! Also you should seriously consider learning how to court a woman, you are 17 and you are still to receive your first kiss, people talk you know!

All three men looked really embarrassed over their rather childish display and the fact that Kitara scolded them like little kids. Sasuke was especially ashamed since it was true that from a man's perspective it seemed odd to not even show some interest in women. He did liked women but he thought he could always wait to do that he just had other priorities, yes other priorities…

Finally the team had recovered and Tazuna and his people finally reached them to make their way towards the bridge.

"Alright, Sasuke, Naruto take point and scout the path ahead, turn on your comm. links and report any findings, otherwise keep radio silence, we don't want enemies hearing what you say through them(radios make a lot of noise). Once you reach the bridge contact us, and we will escort Tazuna and the workers to it. On place you will display to watch the bridge and check out if it has any explosives or sabotage marks on it, after all the whole bridge could be rigged like a trap."

"Sensei a question!" said Naruto while lifting his hand

Kakashi was rather amused he could wish Sasuke did that at least once during his long training

"Yes Naruto?"

"Wouldn't it be easier and safer to hunt down the enemy?"

Sasuke agreed to that a good defense is a strong offense and they did certainly have enough fighting power to overwhelm the enemy, even one as strong as this Water ninja.

"That implicates several issues, first one is that our mission is to protect Tazuna and the bridge to its completion not find and eliminate the enemy, if we had more man power we could try that tactic if only to know the enemy's movements; second we have a rough description at best of the enemy he or she could be among us as we speak so any search efforts would leave one of the two targets compromised while chasing ghosts; our best bet is to remain together and near the enemies targets, eventually he or she will come to us and we will fight under our terms improving our chances"

This got both Naruto and Sasuke silent and they just turned and started walking towards the bridge scouting cautiously the surrounding patches of forest through the road. Everything seemed normal and no sign of ambush or traps could be seen along the way. They were about to report back when a small rustle on some bushes got them both alert and ready for combat.

From the bushes came a small white rabbit which's adorable presence threw off guard the two ninja. Naruto went to it to try and pat it but at the same time a second rustling came from the bushes but this time a rather tall female looking person came through.

Said female had perfectly combed long black straight hair reaching to her mid back, black eyes and perfect white skin, a long pink dress, plain blue sandals, a basket filled with several herbs; the most captivating thing about the person standing before the guys were its near artistically made features which screamed beauty all over the place.

Both guys had to admit the beauty of the creature before them who actually got them both to acquire a bit of color to their cheeks.

"I am sorry if my pet startled you, I was picking some medicinal herbs and Snowball just parted ways with me" said the female with a silky voice that didn't sound too girly but that from a more mature person (sure…)

Both were speechless for they didn't know how to answer since they got very nervous. Naruto though was the first to reply

"No problem there but I am told this lands are a bit dangerous lately so you shouldn't be wandering alone through the forests"

The female smiled lightly and replied cocking her head "I know how to take care of myself, but if it's true that these lands are dangerous, why are you and your friend alone out here?"

Sasuke replied this one deciding he should start making some moves on the female population if only to get more used to them "We can also take care of ourselves, so you shouldn't worry"

"I see, after all what kind of ninja wouldn't be able to take care of himself" replied the smiling female.

"WHAT!" was the question that went through Naruto and Sasuke

"How did you knew we were ninja?" asked Sasuke while slowly reaching for his weapon's holster

"Well you are carrying weapon holsters and scrolls, combat sandals, you are both well built and the confidence you carry with yourselves is typical of trained warriors" replied smiling once again said female.

"Oh, you are quite observant!" pointed out a now relaxed Naruto

"So if you don't mind telling me, why are you in our lands? We are poor and have little need for ninja" asked the female as she placed her basket on the ground.

Sasuke beat Naruto to the answer since he sensed he would spill everything for a pretty girl

"We are currently on official business so we can't discuss it with you, hope you don't feel offended but the less you know the safer you will be"

Naruto was amazed about the cool answer so he made a note to have such answers prepared for the future.

"Mmm, safer you say, but can anyone be truly safe? Many times people can't fend for themselves when attacked, even if they don't carry any fault with them…" said the female casting her gaze a bit downwards.

Sasuke didn't had an answer for that one, living in a ninja nation left that question almost as a joke since ninja had to protect the civilians so no one really felt in danger except for war times. Naruto on his side remembered Riku's death, if only he could have protected back then…

"Then they need someone to protect them…I think" said Naruto almost whispering.

"True, they need someone to protect them, and in that desire to protect can someone find true strength, even the humblest mother becomes a roaring lion for their children. If you find something valuable to protect then you will attain the power to do so. Well I am running late, wish you good luck on you affairs present and future" the female bowed and started walking down the road.

Sasuke decided to further down his courting skills so adopting a stance by which several females in the city often sent him hungry looks had to ask something.

"Hey! Mmm would you like to go out somewhere later today? Our assignment should be lesser in the afternoon"

The female glanced back obviously amused "Well I am certainly flattered but I don't swing that way"

Earning a very confused stare from both ninja the female looking person furthered her answer "You did knew I am a guy right?"

Both ninja became petrified in horror and went immobile as the "guy" left with a light smile gracing his face.

Once the cross-dressing guy left both Naruto and Sasuke screamed "WHAT THE HELL! No man should be so pretty!

Naruto screamed on his own "He was even prettier than Sakura chan! God I feel sick! If father ever learns of this he would beat the crap out of me!

Sasuke on his side dropped to his knees and sobbed a little "Now I am truly death, I just tried to hit on a guy, I am hopeless, my brother is forever beyond my reach, I should just curl up and die…"

Five minutes passed as Naruto kept thrashing around still confused and scared while Sasuke was on the ground in fetal position rocking back and forth sucking his thumb, until their comm. links came to life and Kitara's voice came through.

"Hey guys! You ok? What's taking you so much! We have to get moving!"

This managed to break Naruto and Sasuke from their despair if only a little to plan some excuse.

Sasuke was the first to speak hurriedly "We can't let anyone find out about this it would make us the laughing stock of the entire ninja world! What kind of ninja can't distinguish a man from a woman?"

Naruto quickly nodded "Yeah and I am sure as hell that Sakura chan and Ino would castrate me for finding a guy more attractive than them! And Father would kill me or worse!

Sasuke nodded as well "I know, let's say we sensed something suspicious and went to investigate…wait, Ino! I can't believe you! You did Ino too? What's wrong with you! You go and hump everything with tits!"

"Hey! It's way more than I can tell about you! Besides, I didn't seduced Ino it was more like…."

Sasuke held his hand "I don't want to know, we have more important issues at hand, like coming up with a good lie for Kakashi and Kitara!"

Naruto calmed down and nodded, "Yeah it's more important! I like your idea but it has to have more to it than just something suspicious, let's say it was a couple of dogs fighting over some food!"

Sasuke wasn't very convinced but time was running short, he clicked his comm. link and spoke slowly.

"Sorry about that Kitara, we heard some noises coming from the forest patches along the road and deviated o investigate, but it turned out to be just a bunch of dogs fighting over some death animal they tried to devour; we already dispersed them to avoid any incidents at the worksite"

Kitara and Kakashi on their side were a bit surprised; most ninja wouldn't have paid mind to a bunch of scuffling dogs but then again in terms of experience both youngsters were rookies still and were probably trying to perform diligently on such an important mission.

Sasuke spoke again "We reached the bridge; the road is safe we will clear you upon inspecting the bridge, you can start to move towards our location"

Sasuke let out a sigh as he turned o Naruto who also seemed nervous

"You think they bought it?" asked Naruto.

"I think they thought of it as odd but the mission is more important than speculate about any lie we may tell; just act casually and focus on the mission, hopefully those memories will fade if we keep ourselves busy with the mission" reassured Sasuke.

"Hope so too; so let's inspect the bridge…" Naruto went speechless as he looked at the bridge.

For a bridge being built by a very humble nation it was far larger and stronger looking than the small bridges he came to cross. It was a good 10 meter wide and some 30 meters above the sea level, sustained by several pillars lined in what it seemed endless rows. The bridge was built with a long life in mind and the materials as well as the design had to be strong enough to sustain heavy cargos, nature's wrath and sabotage; for all purposes this was a battle ready bridge.

Sasuke was also impressed by the bridge's design "Quite impressive, the design is rather simple but really strong looking to take it down it would require a large amount of explosive tags in key structural points, and even then it would be really hard to take it all down, the large number of pillars beneath the main structure can sustain much more than they do, so in case some of the pillars break or fall the bridge would remain intact for the excessive number of pillar make up for the losses"

Naruto came out from his admiring and asked "So to take it down it would require lot's of preparation and a large amount of resources?"

Sasuke nodded "Yes it would take time, the bridge itself is almost a fortress, this Tazuna guy is a really a good war architect, no wonder his services proved valuable for the Uchiha"

Naruto started to flex his muscles "Ok Sasuke so it seems a lot of places to look for signs of sabotage and the second party is on its way"

Sasuke assessed the task at hand and came up with a good idea "Don't worry dobe my Sharingan is quite useful in this situation; I can move at high speed and thanks to my Sharingan I won't miss a single detail of everything my eyes roam on, I should be done in a few minutes"

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, which he completed a few days before Naruto came to the city.

Naruto was fuming with the "dobe" remark so as to not fall behind he screamed "Shadow clone Jutsu!"

Instantly the entire area was covered with near a hundred Naruto clones that turned towards Sasuke grinning "DON'T WORRY JERK, WE WILL BE DONE IN A FEW SECONDS!"

At this all of the clones jumped over and under the bridge and started to scout every nook and crack on the bridge looking for anything out of place.

Sasuke was really impressed, the Shadow clone Jutsu was a rather commonly known Jutsu but was forbidden for most ninja since its use was dangerous as it consumed half the caster's chakra and the clones though battle ready were easily disposable.

But fearing to be left behind he also began scouting the bridge with his Sharingan looking for the tiny details he was certain Naruto would miss even with a thousand eyes!

Kakashi and Kitara marched flanking the workers in a loose formation while scouting the surroundings with their Sharingan, just because Naruto and Sasuke cleared the path didn't mean the enemy would have relocated in time for them. As they approached the bridge they could hear a loud noise coming from the bridge, immediately they thought Naruto and Sasuke had locked in combat with the enemy and were too busy they couldn't communicate back a warning.

"Kitara, get Tazuna and the other behind that tree line; I will check the bridge and assess the situation!"

Kitara nodded as Kakashi jumped forward running as fast as he could towards the bridge only to stop on his tracks upon the weird scene before him. Almost a hundred Narutos were jumping and climbing through the bridge inspecting it and shouting any findings they could while Sasuke was trying to avoid crashing into one the clones as he too inspected the bridge.

All Narutos stopped their activities when they noticed Kakashi

"HEY KAKASHI SENSEI! WE ARE ALMOST DONE WITH THE INSPECTION!" The booming noise of the hundred Narutos almost left him deaf and nodded one of the Naruto's to come down to ask him to dispel the clones. Kakashi was also impressed, the skill alone was already hard to master but to create so many clones at a time was beyond anything he ever saw, his top was 4 shadow clones at a time and only under certain circumstances.

All the clones dispelled in a large and loud cloud as a very annoyed Sasuke also landed near Naruto deactivating his Sharingan.

"So everything ok? No more canine threats around? Mmm? Asked Kakashi clearly amused over their quite embarrassing tale.

"No sir! No more dogs or any sort of foul play with the bridge, it is safe to assume the enemy haven't made a move to destroy the bridge!" nearly screamed Naruto as he made a salute motion.

Kakashi raise an eyebrow over the strange behavior.

"Kakashi, we didn't found anything here, besides, the bridge is very large and sturdy, to take it down would require careful planning and a large attack force and supplies, it's safe to assume the easiest target would be Tazuna" said Sasuke while averting his gaze from Kakashi.

Kakashi was now intrigued; Naruto was already odd but to Sasuke to also act strangely, now there was something interesting and potentially fun to find out.

Kitara arrived a second later and found Naruto very stiff still in his saluting position, Sasuke averting his gaze from every person as hiding something and Kakashi with that playful eye smile that only meant he was unto something.

"Glad to see you both are ok, so let's split to cover the entire terrain while Tazuna and his men get to work; Tazuna and his fellow workers have decided to increase the effort and try to inspire the rest of the people to hang in there and not give into despair. So let's do our best to keep them safe as they build this country's hope!" said Kitara to try and inspire Naruto and her cousin.

Sasuke just scoffed a little but was clearly more relaxed and sat off to a good watching point. Naruto on his side smiled brightly at her and jumped off on top of the bridge where he stood watching towards the forest.

"It's rare to see leading skills from you…you really want those two to get along and improve" said a now bored looking Kakashi as he kept a close eye on every person surrounding Tazuna.

"I love Sasuke enough as to want him to become a great ninja and a great man; as for Naruto… well it's like he kind of grows on you, you just can't bring yourself to dislike him, he is very different, always trying to look happy and never giving up in his attempt to make others happy even if he is not successful. And though he has suffered he doesn't give in and moves forward, I just want to be better if only to make him a bit happier." Answered Kitara with an almost glowing face.

"Mmm, indeed Naruto has a certain aura so free and joyous, it's like the violence and hate from our world hasn't touched him, and it's encouraging. I guess it's for his isolated upbringing so I can only hope he doesn't become tainted by our bloody ways. Anyway I am off to keep Tazuna under my watch, keep an eye on the workers just in case one of them was paid off by Gatou".

Kitara moved to start surveying the many workers in search of hints of betrayal; the signs were easy to read in untrained people so if there was a traitor she would be able to identify him quickly. Her real concern remained the evil taint she felt when she confronted Naruto, no one that good could harbor such darkness, could he?

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Afternoon came quickly and everyone had taken a break for lunch, at Kakashi's suggestion Naruto left a dozen shadow clones to stand watch on the perimeter they had prepared in case the enemy chose that hour to try and surprise them.

Everyone gathered in a ring pattern and started eating the tasty but humble lunch Tsunami had been able to stretch from their ever thin resources. Unlike previous days the workers where for once more confident since Tazuna took the time to tell them that the new ninja where actually from the very best the Uchiha could muster, two Uchiha royalty, a legendary veteran and the blonde brat who must be a strong fighter if was actually brought along.

"Hey brat!" screamed Tazuna at Naruto who was wolfing down the rice bowl Tsunami served him "I know everyone in this elite squad; care to tell us what makes you special enough to be here? Are you a promoted auxilia or something?"

Naruto was about to start speaking when Sasuke stopped him "Don't you dare to speak with your mouth full of rice dobe! I have to endure your stupid antics I won't suffer bad manners from you!"

Naruto looked grateful and immediately swallowed the whole thing in one go which left everyone a bit disgusted.

"Thanks Sasuke, sometimes I forget myself, Ahem! I am Naruto the new Sage from Myoboku and I am here at Lord Fugaku's request to aid the Land of Waves in its time of need!"

Sasuke, Kakashi and Kitara just couldn't believe he went ahead and declared his identity to the whole world and screaming at that!

Tazuna and the workers just couldn't believe their ears, a Sage! That young and dumb looking! No way! So they all started laughing

"Boy you sure are funny! You must certainly be strong to accompany the Uchiha elite here but a Sage is supposed to be a legendary kind of ninja!" declared a laughing Tazuna, even Tsunami had a small smile trying to get bigger.

"Fine I will prove it, damn I always have to prove my identity and they never accept my toad riding license. Alright what do you think a Sage can do that no other ninja can! Said a now standing Naruto.

"Well ninjas are formidable on their own skill so how about you crush to dust the large boulder near the bridge's entrance, it's an obstacle for people going and coming to the bridge so we were planning to remove it once the bridge was ended" said Tazuna certain that no matter the ninja this would prove to be a hard task, most ninja could certainly smash it to pieces but grind it into dust required much more power and a different array of skills.

"No problem old man! An easy task for a chance!" Said Naruto happily as he went straight to the large boulder blocking a good part of the path heading to the bridge's entrance.

At this Kakashi, Sasuke and Kitara had stopped eating and all three activated their Sharingan, even they would have trouble turning into dust something like that, sure they could smash it but turning it into dust was a different tale.

Naruto stood before the boulder and stretching his arm a blue chakra sphere formed on his hand, they could appreciate the chakra spinning quickly inside the perfectly shaped sphere, sizing the boulder the sphere grew to twice its size and at this Naruto jumped high into the air and started falling with his hand first towards the boulder. Naruto stroke the boulder and the sphere quickly grew in size and basically devoured the boulder leaving dust behind and a small crater beneath.

Everyone was just amazed as Naruto came completely covered in dust and sneezing.

Tazuna was the first to compliment him "I am very sorry my boy you weren't lying you must certainly be a Sage, not only did you accomplished that hard task but you didn't even performed any hand signs"

Kitara and Sasuke were also very impressed, no hand signs to memorize at all just a small gesture on the hand and a second later a devastating attack for which they couldn't device a defense or counterattack.

Kakashi on his side was shocked beyond words he had seen that technique a long long time and it had inspired him to create his own original Jutsu the Chidori. It was nearly 18 years ago when he had just graduated from the academy and his first mission was to take a diplomatic letter to the newly founded nation in Whirlpool. Back there he had witnessed a Blonde man destroying a practice target with said technique and that had given him the idea to develop a devastating attack in the same fashion but since he never managed to acquire the same effect he had resorted to elemental attacks which eventually gave him his infamous Chidori. This now rose several questions about Naruto, his lack of a second name was already strange, his near unlimited chakra reserves, and his resemblance to that blonde man. But those questions would have to wait for a more peaceful moment for they were a private matter for Naruto and probably a secret of Sages.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Night had fallen to the Land of Waves and thick layer of mist had invaded the last functioning dock that survived the fire of some months ago. A masked ninja was expecting something on the rather calm waters while a fidgeting and nervous Gatou awaited by his side.

"Are you certain they are coming!" asked Gatou while trying to look beyond the Mist.

"They are already here…" silently hissed the masked ninja.

The thick mist layer had withdrawn and right next to the dock a medium sized boat with black sails lay anchored and a few tough looking sailors were already tying the boat to the dock and right next to Gatou three figures were standing silently.

Gatou nearly screamed when he noticed the three figures that suddenly appeared next to him.

"Haku boy! It is so nice to see you! Or I rather say feel your presence!" said a man with bandages all over his body and only having his mouth clear of them, strapped with a black samurai outfit and two thin looking tubular blades on his back.

"It is an honor to see you too Lord Sansei it's been a while…you brought those two with you…"

The demon brothers were seriously ticked off by Haku's demeaning remark but their master's presence kept them in line.

"Oh! Don't mind them my boy! They are here just to make certain the mission is carried out properly who knows they might come in handy, besides I have been training them personally for the past few months they are quite competent now and I assure you they won't make a bloody mess like last time; Right boys!" said Sansei barely turning in their direction while flashing a long white grin.

"Yes my lord!" screamed the two brothers in obvious fear.

"It is good to hear those serving Lord Zabuza are improving themselves constantly in the name of his dream" said Haku while bowing a little to Sansei.

"Ha Ha Ha, my boy you certainly believe in the man's dream! I may have my own reasons to follow him but you should really consider having a second life goal than serving him, his dream might get him killed some day and you will be left master less" said a still grinning Sansei.

"If my lord dies I will die as well…" said a grim Haku

"A shame that someone of your talent has such a short sighted dream, but fine you earned my respect a long time ago. Now would you mind telling me who is this blot next to you Haku?"

Gatou was incredibly insulted but Haku placed a hand on his shoulder

"Mister Gatou please refrain yourself from insulting these men, unlike me they don't have a master to answer to. They are my master's associates and thus demand respect at all times"

Sansei smiled and quickly approached the little man "So this is the famous business tycoon Gatou who became rich with his shipping company and also famous for his smuggling operations. Seems like Zabuza needs to re evaluate with who he does business, this blot would turn tail at the first sight of trouble"

"Lord Sansei, Kita's demise left us with a serious financial trouble which slowed lord Zabuza's dream greatly, Gatou has accepted to share a large cut from his profits in exchange for guarantees of safety. Smuggling in and out from Fire is what we need to further our campaigns in Water and put an end to the chaos on the country"

"Fine fine, I will behave" and turning to Gatou "Just remember this blot, if your turn on us you will meet a very distasteful demise at my blades"

"Now Haku, come on board and tell us everything about those merry Uchiha ninja you requested help to deal with, if you need help then it should make this trip rather interesting"

So both ninja boarded the ship leaving a very much angry and ignored Gatou.

"Those damn ninja think themselves masters of the elemental lands! Think they can push me around and use me as they see fit! But no matter, once they finish those pesky Uchiha and that Tazuna, these lands will be mine and then I will be able to hire entire armies, not even Zabuza will be able to harm me, and if he wants some of my money he will have to yield to me and beg. Just you wait ninja this world belongs to the fittest and I have survived through war and disease, and fooled a lot of ninja to reach my position, Zabuza is just another one, yes another one…"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The first day of the mission had gone by without incident, Kakashi had warned the team that the enemy was very likely informed of their presence by now and was probably plotting a way to stop Tazuna from building his bridge. So they needed to make certain to leave no blind spots in their defense and be prepared for anything.

Once again Naruto and Sasuke were tasked with scouting ahead and were warned about not being late again or get distracted about a bunch of dogs.

Both youngsters were marching towards the bridge looking carefully and in silence since that morning everything was shrouded by a thick mist, which would have been perfect for an ambush on a large group of untrained people like the workers.

"Man I can barely see anything through here and it sounds like every animal around here are still asleep" said a bored Naruto.

Sasuke smiled a little "Heh, this situation is like one of those poorly written action novels some soldiers like to read, I bet that when we reach the bridge we will be received by the enemy's voice or a carefully laid ambush, or my favorite, the mist will clear revealing the mighty enemy you and I will duel to the death. Like real ninja behave that way!"

"That would be so cool!" exclaimed Naruto as Sasuke just slapped his own forehead.

Finally both youngsters reached the bridge's entrance just to see more mist engulfing it.

"Ok this is getting tiring…say Naruto can you blow this mist away with your wind Jutsu? Just be careful as to only blow the mist and not the whole bridge" said Sasuke while walking behind Naruto

"No problem, stand back! Moderate Wind Burst Jutsu!" And Naruto inhaled a large amount of air before blowing it strongly in a wide area, effectively clearing the mist from the Bridge

"You had to say moderate as well?" asked a rather annoyed Sasuke while Naruto had stiffened in his place.

Sasuke directed his sight in the direction Naruto was looking only to see a lone figure standing on the bridge.

There right on the bridge was the masked ninja from the intelligence pictures, clad in those heavy clothes and hair made up in a knot over his head. The Water ninja began walking towards Naruto and Sasuke, who in turn jumped apart taking a defensive stance.

"Greetings Uchiha ninjas, before any violent exchange begins please let me offer you the same thing I offered to the last team your clan sent. Leave this Land alive and unharmed with your companions, in exchange I will spare Tazuna´s life and only destroy the bridge" spoke calmly the masked ninja.

Naruto beat Sasuke to the reply "First than anything I commend you for the cool entrance" Sasuke almost tripped, "And second, I offer you the same deal, take whoever you brought with you and go back to your lands in peace and unharmed, that bridge is far too important for these people as to allow its destruction"

The masked ninja stopped and replied calmly "You mean this bridge is important for the Uchiha as to allow their armies to advance into Water. I am sorry but in my master's name it has to be destroyed or Tazuna be killed and I rather avoid having to kill people"

Sasuke was the one to reply this time "Like you avoided killing the team that guarded this bridge before! Besides my people have been at peace for 10 years and now you band of thieves and murderers slander our honor by spreading such lies! This people are being oppressed by Gatou and you want to help him crush this Land further! In the name of the Uchiha honor I will crush you!"

The masked ninja remained in place "While it doesn't bring me any joy seeing this Land being oppressed by a man like Gatou, it's in my master's name I do this and his dream, I am his to do as he wishes, my own desires have no place"

"Then are you a slave? You would even take your own life for a monster like Zabuza!" nearly screamed Naruto

"Yes I would if that is his command and helps further his dream. He saved me and I am nothing without him" replied once again the masked ninja

Naruto casted his gaze down feeling bad for the ninja before him, a slave to the very core and with no hopes or dreams of his own "Then I guess we have no other choice but fight…"

"So it seems…" said the Water ninja pulling six steel needles from his sleeves and throwing them at Naruto and Sasuke's throats at an incredible speed.

Both managed to jump out of the way while Sasuke threw a barrage of shuriken in the Water ninja's direction who barely moved to avoid them with great ease. While Naruto decided to report back to Kakashi and Kitara

"Kakashi sensei, Kitara! We are under enemy attack, take Tazuna to a safe place while me and Sasuke deal with the Water ninja, he is attempting to destroy the bridge" screamed Naruto as he observed Sasuke throwing all kind of kunai and Shuriken at the Water ninja who in turn was evading or deflecting them with little effort.

"Naruto, Sasuke, be careful, but I am afraid we have our own share of trouble, three Water ninja came to confront us. Don't' worry for Tazuna I had my ninja dogs take him to shelter but I am afraid we won't be able to lend you any support so do your best. Naruto fight without restraint, you are facing a real killer and one who will kill you without hesitation. Sasuke work in tandem with Naruto, don't try to take him yourself! Good luck. I'll go when we clear things on our side!"

"Sasuke you heard him! Let's regroup!" screamed Naruto as Sasuke launched a final barrage of shuriken.

"Finally done dobe! I almost ran out of weapons there! Said Sasuke as he too jumped, next to Naruto.

"Remember what we planned before, this guy is strongest when near to water but we can't help it since his target is the bridge, so we have to make the bridge as dry as possible" said Naruto as he kept his gaze on the immobile ninja.

"I see we fight on top of the bridge away from the water but we dry the air so it takes him more effort to make his jutsus. One problem though, I don't have a Jutsu as powerful as to engulf the entire area above the bridge" said Sasuke as he remained on guard.

"Let's combine Jutsus then, you set your strongest fire Jutsu while I strengthen it with a wind Jutsu. It should suffice to dry the air above the bridge if only momentarily. Then we strike him as hard as we can while his Ice Jutsus take longer to form!"

At this Naruto launched himself forward at full speed against the Water ninja, with tri kunai in hand and attempted a strong slash against him. The Water ninja jumped only to see a huge wave of fire coming in his direction which he managed to avoid by throwing a chain towards one of the bridge's rails. At this Naruto quickly launched a wind burst towards the fire wave tripling the size of it, burning the entire area above the bridge leaving a light hot air in the atmosphere around them.

"Great Sasuke! It will take some time before the atmosphere becomes moist again! We should take the chance to strike him down!" said Naruto silently while Sasuke stood behind him using him as a shield to cover his own moves.

"Let's time our attacks Naruto, he is fast but consecutive attacks should wear him down!" whispered back Sasuke as he readied his kunai.

Naruto nodded once and launched himself at Haku to try and deliver powerful kick which Haku evaded by side a side step and readied himself to retaliate while Naruto was still turning, but was met with Sasuke's kunai which he barely blocked and forced him to jump back without much control only to be met with a flying kick from Naruto that landed on the left side of his head.

Haku was thrown to his right and managed to roll on the ground and stand back.

"Seems like normal tactics won't work against you; a shame such talented ninjas have to meet such fate"

At this Haku opened and closed his hands a few times and disappeared from Naruto and Sasuke's sight. Both gasped at the amazing speed only to slowly turn and see Haku standing between them, Haku stood on his hands and kicked both on their faces sending them flying in opposite directions against the bridge's rails.

Naruto and Sasuke were confused, this ninja wasn't fighting them with their full strength, but had little time to ponder since several Senbon were coming in their direction way faster than before. Naruto and Sasuke managed to dodge some of the Senbon but several impaled themselves on both producing small wounds that hurt but didn't impede them to move properly.

"Once again I ask you to withdraw before this goes any further, I would like o avoid killing if possible" said Haku once again as Naruto and Sasuke removed the Senbon from their bodies.

Naruto felt anger rising quickly inside of him, this man was shattering the Land of Waves hopes and still claimed he didn't wanted to kill, the nerve!

Naruto flexed his legs and jumped at neck breaking speed towards Haku who acted a bit surprised over his new level of speed, but managed to turn quickly enough to apply a roundhouse kick on Naruto's back and send him towards Sasuke who was still reeling from the previous attack.

Sasuke managed to react and caught Naruto to prevent him from falling over the bridge.

"Calm down Naruto! This guy is probably trying to get us out of synch, our previous attacks worked well but with that speed we will need something more than team work" said Sasuke as he began concentrating.

"What do you mean…?" Naruto was cut short as Sasuke opened his eyes and revealed his Sharingan.

"Naruto, one of the basic elements of the Sharingan is the capacity to watch everything that happens on the battlefield in front of you, you don't miss any detail and thus you can copy Jutsus or fighting styles. But also it allows you to see more clearly the enemy's movements and allow your body to respond in kind. We have the same potential speed as him but we can't catch up with his moves since we aren't accustomed to such kind of battle. I will fight him one on one and I will try to make an opening for you, use that moment to crush him!"

"Sounds like a plan Sasuke!" said Naruto as he relaxed and prepared to start the attack once again.

Naruto again charge this time throwing a large barrage of shuriken which forced Haku to slightly jump in the air, only to be quickly intercepted by Sasuke, as he started a barrage of punches and kicks that Haku barely managed to block and in some cases receiving the blows.

During their flashing exchanges Sasuke managed to deliver a high velocity kick which made Haku stumble backwards on which point he felt three powerful impacts against his body that sent him flying against the rail.

"What was that dobe! I told you to crush him not just hit him a little!" said Sasuke as he panted a little, keeping up with Haku was proving to be demanding.

"Hey! I got him with three wind bullets, it should be enough to hurt him, besides it was the only Jutsu I could perform with you two moving around so much!"

Haku managed to regain his composure while holding his chest, those bullets managed to break one of his ribs and the other impacts certainly would bruise by tomorrow.

Thinking to himself Haku started to device a new strategy "The Uchiha can catch on with me and the other has too much power, they would be unbeatable if only their teamwork was better. Seems like I have no other choice but to use my special traits"

Haku stood in front of both ninja and before they could reinitiate their assault he dropped a smoke bomb effectively delaying them, he took the chance to jump high over the bridge and dropped several explosives to both sides of the bridge into the water creating vast explosions that made water rain on top of the bridge and every place nearby.

"Veil of Mist Jutsu" spoke softly Haku as all the water surrounding them turned into mist covering him from the Sharingan and the mighty strikes of Naruto.

"What the hell! How did he managed to do this!" screamed an annoyed Naruto.

"Shut up! It's quite obvious he knows his own weaknesses so he came with ideas to counter them! Just focus our visibility is decreased but so is his, so the next strikes are crucial to define the battle!"

"Ice Needles!"

At that moment the mist floating around them turned into sharp ice needles that shot themselves towards Naruto and Sasuke. The first ones caught them by surprised effectively gracing them with several painful scratches, Naruto and Sasuke managed to start deflecting them since they made a small cracking noise as they took shape.

Naruto was using a shield size Rasengan to destroy the needles coming his way while Sasuke deflected them using his kunai. Naruto getting tired of being shot almost at point blank increased the Rasengan's spinning speed and allowed it to dispel creating a small chakra burst that cleared a wider area for him and Sasuke to stand without being clouded by the mist.

"What do we do Sasuke? We can't see him and he can literally attack us from any point here" said Naruto as he stood back to back with Sasuke.

"We could try to blow the mist again but I think it would be useless at this point, he would just keep making more gaining advantage and tiring us out. We need a way to lure him out or catch him within the mist"

"Sasuke, if I could signal him for you, would you be able to hit him with a fire Jutsu?" said Naruto as he expected the next attack.

"I could, but he will move away, the fire Jutsus aren't particularly fast as the wind ones but one should be enough to hurt him badly, perhaps kill him"

"Then I will stop him long enough for you! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

At this the small mist free space where Naruto and Sasuke stood was filled with smoke, covering them from more attacks from Haku

"What are they planning? They can't possibly dare to enter the mist…!" As Haku pondered his rivals new tactic a hand reached out for him from within the mist almost catching him. Haku managed to jump in another direction knowing that it was a desperate move to finish their siege, but once again more hands were reaching out for him from within the mist, effectively taking a hold of him. To Haku's surprise two Narutos were holding him in place grabbing his right leg and left arm.

"Sasuke! Over here! Shoot now!"

"Shadow Clones!" spoke a surprised Haku as a large orange glowing orb was approaching them from beyond the mist. The fireball was approaching them while the Naruto clones kept a firm grip of Haku holding him in place to receive the attack. "Sorry about this, I would like to have been there when you needed help…" spoke softly one of the clones holding Haku in place.

"It would have been different, but sadly it wasn't. Substitution!" On the moment the Fireball came through and struck the three figures, Haku managed to substitute himself with one of the Shadow Clones, though he had survived the fire attack his right hand and fore arm were badly burned for the explosion managed to grace him as it engulfed the clones.

"Did I got him!" asked Sasuke as he readied to fire a second time.

"No, he managed to replace himself with one of my clones, but I think he got injured. Weird thing is that he had one of his arms trapped by my clones but still managed to use a Jutsu with one hand, I didn't knew that was possible!"

"Damn! This guy is really troublesome. Doesn't matter, make more clones and overwhelm him, this time we will get him!

"Alright! Shadow clone Jut! Agh! Naruto grabbed one of his hands as a Senbon was stuck on it.

"What the! Agh!" Sasuke grabbed his right shoulder as a Senbon stuck out of it.

"You two should have considered the fact that I was trained all my life under similar circumstances, I don't have to see you to know where you stand in the mist. I really would have liked to end this in a more civilized manner but your skill leaves me with no other choice but to use my full strength against you, hope you don't have regrets…Ice Mirrors Cage!"

Naruto and Sasuke stood once again having removed the Senbon from their bodies, as they prepared for a possible wave of Senbon coming from multiple directions, they noticed the mist around them started to gather and as it swirled several plaques of ice formed a several perfectly shaped ice mirrors forming a dome with little space between them, effectively caging them inside.

"What the…? Said Naruto as he admired the beautiful and neat mirrors around them.

"Stop goofing around Naruto! This is his kekei Genkai in full display, be ready for this is probably his most formidable attack!"

As Sasuke stopped screaming at his distracted partner, several Senbon came flying in their direction.

"Where did they came from!" thought Sasuke as he did his best to dodge the Senbon but when he thought himself safe of the initial attack three Senbon struck him clean on the top of his back.

"Sasuke!" screamed Naruto at his wounded teammate as he was busy dodging a large amount of Senbon, only to get several piercing his left arm.

"How is this possible! He couldn't have gotten behind me at the same time the first barrage was over! Not to mention he was attacking Naruto at the same time!"

Naruto removed the most painful Senbon from his arm and in an increasing anger shouted

"Show your face coward!"

At this explosion of anger a small chakra burst from him cleared the remaining mist allowing for a clear view of the mirrors and the image in them. To their surprise in the mirror straight from them stood a picture of the Water ninja that looked so real and marvelously made, they went even more surprised when it moved and threw just two Senbon in their direction if only to prove how real he was.

"If you allow me I could spare you a lot of pain by striking you in vital areas. I am saying this since neither has a chance of surviving once I display this Jutsu, no matter what you do, you can't win, please stop this struggle and let me finish it mercifully"

"What kind of idiot are you! You know who I am! I am Sasuke Uchiha, son of Fugaku Uchiha Lord of the Uchiha and masters of the Eastern Land of Fire! There is no way I am going to be defeated by the likes of a murderer from a backwater country! I will destroy you!" At this furious statement Sasuke began to throw large fireballs at every mirror where Haku's image appeared, in each time the mirrors seemed to melt a little but recovered their shape and neatness quickly.

"Sasuke! Calm down, you are wasting your chakra and your attacks have no effect! He is repairing every mirror you hit!

Sasuke calmed at this piece of information, only to barely dodge a Senbon thrown at his throat.

"Then what should we do! Fire has little effect and the entire atmosphere is getting colder by the minute, which will only make us slower!"

"Let me try my wind it should blow those mirrors away! Wind burst Jutsu!"

From Naruto's mouth a powerful gust shot against the mirrors, it blew at arrows speed several construction materials and debris from the battle but to Naruto and Sasuke's dismay the mirrors didn't budge a bit.

"Damn! Wind Bullet Jutsu!"

Several concentrated wind bullets shot at several mirrors putting small cracks on them, which in turn repaired themselves almost instantly.

"Not yet! Sasuke stand very close to me! This will be a widely spread Jutsu! Twister Jutsu!"

Sasuke barely managed to stand back to back with Naruto when the wind around them picked up and started to swirl wildly around them soon turning into a full blown Tornado.

But once again the mirrors were barely vibrating from the intense wind but remained in place.

Naruto seeing the little effect got angry and started to increase the power, soon after the intense Tornado started to pull small pieces from the bridge slowly tearing it apart but the mirrors with their thin shapes were gliding through the wind.

Sasuke noticed the destructive force was starting to destroy the very thing they came to protect.

"Naruto! Stop this! "You are destroying the bridge!" screamed Sasuke through the loud winds hoping Naruto would listen, but Naruto ignored him as he was consumed with frustration seeing those mirrors.

Sasuke had to think quickly of a way to get through Naruto, so knowing he wouldn't listen and risking destabilizing the Jutsu, slapped hard the back of Naruto's head which made the Jutsu to dispel quickly and without major incidents.

"Dobe! Be careful you nearly destroyed the bridge! Aren't you trying to protect the villager's hope? Sasuke said as he remembered Naruto's own words.

Panting Naruto did realized what he almost did "Sorry Sasuke I got carried away, thanks for stopping me. But what are we going to do? Those mirrors barely moved and that tornado was one of my strongest Jutsu, if I use something more powerful, the bridge is unlikely to resist"

"I've been analyzing this Jutsu for some time, somehow he can attack us from every mirror almost instantly and also keep us on his sight at all times, but the Jutsu requires it's targets to be captured inside, so if one of us managed to get out his attention would become divided and he would have to lose sight from one of us, not to mention that his mirrors might be weaker on the other side. Attacking from inside and outside is this Jutsu's weakness!"

"Nice thinking but the thing is, how do we get out? He has us pinned down and as you said he can attack us almost instantly from every angle" Naruto said as he was looking for Haku's image on the mirrors.

Whispering Sasuke had a plan based on Naruto's skills "Use your shadow clones, the smoke it makes when created should make for a curtain, in that moment your clones and myself will run towards the nearest opening among the mirrors, at least one of us should be able to escape before he gets all the clones"

Naruto nodded and quickly created a large amount of clones, as expected the cloud of smoke was thick enough to hide them from Haku but it would last little; at that moment all the clones and a disguised Sasuke started running and jumping in several directions attempting to leave the mirrors cage.

"So they figured my Jutsu's weakness…a shame my master trained me to cover for it"

To Naruto and Sasuke's surprise a rain of Senbon fell upon the entire area destroying almost instantly every clone and striking them several times effectively cutting their attempt to escape.

None the less Sasuke's Sharingan had noticed something during the intense attack, the Senbon were effectively thrown at them from the mirrors but not at the same, there was a small lapse of time between the attacks coming from different angles and a quick shadow moving from one mirror to the next.

Removing some Senbon from his body, Sasuke commented to Naruto "That didn't work but I figured something, he is moving from one mirror to the next and attacking us from each one, his Jutsu probably allows him to move very fast in these distances making it look like he actually attacks from every mirror at the same time; if only we could catch him midair we would crush him"

Naruto finishing to remove the Senbon exclaimed "So speed is the key? I can match that speed but I need time to prepare and I can't afford to be interrupted in any way"

Sasuke was surprised "How can you match that speed? My Sharingan barely noticed his moves; we can't hope to match that speed as we are right now"

"Sage arts. If I use them I can win this with ease, now that I know it's a matter of speed I can win this"

Sasuke got a bit infuriated "And why didn't you use them from the beginning! We could have averted this entire situation!"

"Because it takes a small time to prepare, and it has consequences to use my Sage arts, they are meant to be a last resort! Now be quiet I need to concentrate!"

Haku noticed their small exchange and also noticed Naruto's small smile "Seems like they came up with a new plan, at this pace they will break away from my cage. I have dragged this too long, a shame such fine and excellent ninja have to meet their end like this". Haku moved quickly to the mirror behind Naruto and threw a Senbon to his back effectively breaking his concentration.

"Agh! He won't let me focus; I need a full minute of perfect focus and stillness to use my arts!"

Sasuke nodded and decided that in the name of victory he needed Naruto's Sage Arts, his chakra reserves were low already and the more time they spent in this cage more certain their defeat would be. Sasuke took a soldier pill from his tool bag and quickly ate it feeling his energies being recharged if only momentarily.

"Dobe, no matter what you won't break concentration, I will cover you from this guy's attacks so you better get it right on the first go since it's very likely we won't get another chance" said Sasuke as he took a second Kunai and stood with his fully developed Sharingan in front of Naruto.

Naruto didn't need to be told twice and started gathering nature's chakra to enter the sage mode.

Haku sensed that it would be bad if he allowed the blonde one to finish his task whatever it was so he restarted his assault with as much fury as he could, sending a flurry of Senbon in his direction.

However not a single Senbon struck its target, Sasuke Uchiha had managed to deflect almost every Senbon with his Kunai and caught the others with his own body.

Haku once again tried throwing as many as his speed allowed, but all his attempts failed as Sasuke had somehow managed to block them all using kunai and body alike. Dread started to creep through Haku's mind when confronted with the possibility of defeat, the Uchiha was making an extraordinary sacrifice and that only meant he was gambling on a trump card the blonde was preparing. Defeat would take him away from his master and throw him away into solitude once more; and he will never return to that, if the Uchiha wanted to sacrifice himself, then so be it he would deal with him first and the blonde would follow.

Once again Haku sent a flurry of Senbon in Naruto's direction from several angles, but the attack was relentless this time, a never ending stream of attacks showered unto Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke managed to hold his ground deflecting the Senbon at an incredible speed and catching with his body in non vital areas the ones he couldn't reach with his kunai.

In the middle of the attack Haku switched targets and this time started attacking Sasuke who in turn was grateful for the relief of not having to guard Naruto, but at that moment as he had deflected one of the Senbon upwards another Senbon hit the deflected one and directed it in Naruto's way.

Noticing this Sasuke threw his Kunai to block the Senbon but in that small lapse of surprise and distraction 3 Senbon struck him right on his chest.

On that moment Naruto finally opened his eyes in a Sage mode state only to see Sasuke drop to the ground clutching his chest completely covered in Senbon.

On that moment something snapped inside of him and his breathing became sharper and faster. He walked in Sasuke's direction slowly as Haku tried to bring him down with more Senbon but the sage mode aura deflected them all, they weren't strong enough to pierce the aura.

Naruto knelt besides Sasuke and rolled him over to check on him; he was barely breathing and had his eyes half closed.

"Dobe…even like this I can feel that power, I am certain you can win this now…don't look so surprised ninja make this kind of sacrifices all the time is our trade to live our lives for our clans and dying it's just a sad consequence of that…though I do have a couple of regrets, who doesn't?, I would have liked to be as strong as my brother, I would have liked to be acknowledged once by father and above all I would have liked to say mom how much I love her…I also regret I wasn't a good friend to you Naruto, you tried so hard to be my friend and I pushed you away, at least here let me call you my first true friend. Now the darkness come, I am scared but I tried…"

"I am scared but I tried…" those words again, the very last words Riku spoke, now his newly found friend uttered them again in the same fashion. Sasuke's eyes lost their Sharingan and slowly closed before an increasingly angry Naruto, who had lost his sage mode and was starting to emit a red glow around his body; unbeknown to him his eyes had changed shape and coloration.

In a single scream all the ice mirrors broke dropping an exhausted Haku to the ground, keeping the mirrors consumed his chakra greatly, in an instant Naruto had him by the neck.

"**YOU! YOU COME HERE TO HELP DESTROY THE LIVES OF THESE GOOD PEOPLE, YOU INSIST YOU DON'T LIKE ANY OF THIS YET YOU FOUGHT US, AND NOW YOU TAKE THE LIFE OF MY FRIEND. AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO SAY YOU DO ALL THIS BECAUSE YOU WERE COMMANDED TO. YOU ARE CERTAINLY A LOWLY SLAVE"**

Haku felt something he thought training and a lifetime of service under Zabuza had eliminated; Fear, the killer intent from the man before him was much heavier and malevolent than that from his master. He wanted to escape but those bright red orbs held him paralyzed like a helpless prey before a mighty predator.

"What are you? What do you want?" spoke Haku with a trembling voice.

"**I AM A NARUTO AND I WANT TO KILL YOU…"**

**AN: Finally Done! Jeez that took me forever!**

**So how do you like the chapter and especially the fighting sequence it was my longest and I believe most complicated one so far so some feedback would be greatly appreciated since next chapter will have Kitara and Kakashi's battle against Sansei and the demon brothers.**

**So the Uchiha arc is coming to a conclusion, of course it still have a couple chapters left but I wanted to tell to my readers beforehand that the next arc will be the Hyuga one! So all of the NaruHina fans can start to lick their lips!**

**Besides from that, I am currently writing the first chapter for another story, a main NaruHina and some NaruHarem story so you might want to check my profile soon.**

**Anyway as always, Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	17. Of Bridges and Hope

**Chapter 16: Of Bridges and Hope**

**Short AN: Long time no see my good readers, I know I haven't updated in a long time but my mind wandered far too long in other places and Fiscal year has been a bitch for the past month.**

**Hope you had time to check out my new story on my profile and know that due to some movies, books and current angry estate I am considering to write a Sasuke centric story where he is some sort of a tragic and very pissed off hero or villain, haven't decided yet.**

**Anyway hope you like this new installment, review it for a change and let me know if you would like me to write that Sasuke story or just focus on this one.**

"Well, I am honored to face the great Kakashi Hatake, the greatest auxilia the Uchiha have had in a long time. And also Lady Kitara Uchiha, the subterfuge mistress and renowned assassin" spoke with an eerie grin Sansei while flanked by the demon brothers.

Kakashi and Kitara knew the attack was orchestrated to split their fighting force by half and judging by Naruto's aid request they were facing the most dangerous ninja from Water. The group in front of them probably had the task of stalling them as much as possible to allow the other ninja to finish Naruto and Sasuke and destroy the bridge, or in any case kill Tazuna and fall back.

"And who might you be? Another proud less assassin from Water? It has to be since no other true ninja would use such underhanded cheap strategy to fulfill their so called missions. Not to mention you are doing the job of a puny little bastard like Gatou. Sadly Water has fallen low as low as to become petty mercenaries" Spoke Kitara smugly.

The Demon Brothers were about to jump in rage against her but their master raised a hand to stop them. "Don't do anything rash boys, that girl is quite famous for being one the best Uchiha warriors she wouldn't taunt us for a little bluffing. We will do things right this time, you two know the plan"

Sansei turned once again towards Kakashi who hadn't moved since the beginning of their classic pre fight exchange. "How unexpected of you Kakashi, you would have attacked us while I was scolding this two. May I ask why you didn't?"

Kakashi had lifted his eye patch to reveal his Sharingan "Because that's what you were expecting Sansei, your reputation is peculiar as your looks. Kitara, please take the two goons, I am more fit to fight Sansei here"

Kitara nodded, she wouldn't argue with Kakashi whenever he got serious, if he said he wanted to take an enemy on his own was because he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by any kind of reinforcements, ally or enemy.

On his side, Sansei sneered, quite pleased for his reputation to reach distant lands. "Alright boys let's do as he says, take the girl down and fight her as I taught you, or else victory against an Uchiha would be impossible for you. Kakashi is mine to play with"

At this both brother leapt to the sides while Kitara started running back into the tree line and away from the battle between Kakashi and Sansei.

"Most excellent Kakashi, I am very fortunate to have you all for myself!" said Sansei as he grabbed one of the tubular blades on his back and in a swift downwards motion managed to grace Kakashi's left arm.

Kakashi leapt backwards surprised by the sudden and seemingly impossible attack he just received.

Sansei grinned "Surprised? This is one of the many perfected swordsmanship arts of Water, and one of my own creations. Guess what, I will tell you its secret right before I shred you to pieces"

Once again Sansei moved his blade now making Kakashi jump to avoid the attack. Kakashi managed to hear the wind being cut by something but at a flick of Sansei's arm and now his left leg was graced by the incredibly sharp attack.

"How is this possible? He just stands there and directs his attacks with that strange blade, the reach seems variable and the attacks can be redirected in mid attack!" though an increasingly nervous Kakashi as he had no means to defend.

"Haven't figured yet the trick?" Spoke a smiling Sansei.

Kakashi had to think quickly, this opponent was craftier than he had anticipated; his very attack was so puzzling that he wouldn't dare to initiate his attack until he figured how his attacks worked. Kakashi decided to test a theory, so he grabbed several smoke bombs and drop them to his feet covering himself and the nearby area in a purple smoke.

"Ha Ha, Kakashi I am blindfolded already, you really think you have a better chance at dodging by covering yourself with smoke!" said an increasingly excited Sansei, but he had to side step as several shuriken came flying in his direction, but many more just kept coming from behind the curtain, forcing Sansei to move his blades to start repelling the shuriken, with faint metallic sounds.

Kakashi then threw two Kunai with several explosive tags attached to them, to both sides of Sansei. The tags exploded creating a roaring noise which made Sansei flinch painfully.

"Argh, you bastard!" At this Sansei violently moved his tubular blade in several whipping movements shredding the smoke curtain in front of him searching for Kakashi, but to no avail since he had already relocated himself.

Kakashi had time to observe Sansei's moves and reactions; from his first impressions, Sansei located his opponents through sound because the invisibility of his weapon was also his shortcoming, you just couldn't trust your eyes when attacking with that weapon. He must have trained his ears to be particularly sensitive to be able to hear the moves of the blade and direct it towards the enemy. The second impression was that the blade had to be incredibly thin and flexible, perhaps a very thin ninja steel wire, but that wouldn't explain the burning sharpness of the weapon, he needed to verify the weapons shape and function before devising a strategy.

Sansei managed to clear the smoke curtain and remained still as he expected Kakashi to make his next move; he would pay for such insolence. At that moment several kunai came from above him in several directions but Sansei's defense deflected them all not wanting to move into another position Kakashi would take advantage of.

Once he had his blade up deflecting the kunai, Kakashi leapt from underground with another kunai in hand and going straight for Sansei's neck.

Kakashi though never reached his target as his eyes were wide open at seeing his arms falling from his sides, only to have his head cut in that instant with a frozen expression of surprise.

Sansei's victory was short lived as the Kakashi in front of him exploded into a mess of mud covering Sansei from head to toe along with his blades.

Kakashi from afar and slightly winded now saw the secret behind Sansei's attacks; those tubular blades were actually very thin blades rolled upon it and every attack of Sansei displayed them like retractable whips. The blades were so thin that it was hard to see them at all but now that they were covered in mud they were perfectly visible.

Kakashi now started his assault taking advantage of Sansei's estate and now being able to see the whip blades. He managed to deliver a series of punches and kicks to Sansei since he had used most of his weapons on his trap; but something felt wrong about the sensation of the impacts.

Somehow it felt as if he was trying to punch something much harder than simple bandages covering Sansei's body.

Kakashi decided to play it safe and thus proceeded to remove Sansei's blades from him using several powerful strikes that again felt strange but managed to disarm him.

Taking the open window, Kakashi managed to recover one of his kunai and headed straight to make a slashing move towards Sansei's throat, but to his surprise no blood came gushing out as a result. Then Kakashi felt a sharp pain on his left thigh as a very thin white blade was piercing it; Kakashi turned his gazed to Sansei who was now grinning maniacally.

Kakashi managed to remove himself from the blade and jumped backwards to reassess the threat.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha! Great Kakashi, excellent job! You certainly live up to your name and reputation! You figured out the trick behind my blades and actually remove them from the equation! But don't you think I haven't realized their weakness before? After all I was the one to take them from the cold fingers of my master many years ago! The idea though had so much potential so I decided to take it one step forward!"

Sansei removed his samurai clothes and revealed his body which was completely covered in those white bandages but a closer inspection could tell you that those bandages were almost reflecting the light. Sansei then twitched a little making all the bandages become loose and in the next move display like hundreds of tentacles sprouting from him. Those bandages were actually ultra thin blades wrapped around his body to simulate bandages and fool most people.

The blades were actually sprouting from beneath Sansei's skin and seemed to be almost alive as they moved with the slightest motion from Sansei. Sansei himself was a bald man with black eyes and a slim constitution that didn't depicted any muscles, the most perturbing aspect of him though, was that his entire body was marked with hundreds of barely visible scars, most likely product of having several meters of razor sharp blades wrapped around him for years.

"You should be glad Kakashi not many have seen this weapon, but all those who did perished in a most bloody way. To be honest I have been dying to test this weapon with someone of great skill since I forged it, all I have had to practice with have been cocky bandits and unlucky peasants"

"I can imagine…" said Kakashi as he was trying to not limp, the blade didn't made much damage in terms of blood but must have cut a few nerves.

Sansei flicked his right arm and several of the tentacle like blades lunged forward at Kakashi who managed to jump sideways with some effort, but Sansei made another move and all the blades turned direction towards Kakashi's retreating form. In the end Kakashi was severely scraped on his back when had managed o barely escape the last attack.

"Ha Ha Ha, Kakashi! What's this? You were fighting so well before and now you can barely keep up with my blades!" screamed an almost demented Sansei as he lunged more blades towards Kakashi.

Kakashi had managed to pick up another kunai and as he moved backwards deflected and dodged as best as he could.

"Damn it! Those attacks are almost alive it's hard to intercept them and harder to dodge them" thought an increasingly cornered Kakashi.

Sansei became a bit impatient, Kakashi was resulting harder to defeat even in this estate. He would turn his attacks into an even deadlier form.

Sansei retracted the blades currently striking Kakashi, and closing his fist the blades rolled upon each other creating a thick drill like spear that he plunged at Kakashi.

Kakashi was surprised and barely managed to block the point of the drill with his kunai. But the Kunai exploded in pieces and the drill managed to grace Kakashi's left shoulder.

At that moment he knew Sansei would eventually kill him, he needed to act fast and end the battle soon if he wanted to survive. Kakashi stopped for a second while Sansei relished his near victory while his tentacle blades flayed behind and around him, they almost looked like a thunderstorm full of lightning.

This gave Kakashi an idea, so far Sansei had failed to use any ninjutsu or genjutsu, and his sole battle prowess depended on his swordsmanship. Those blades probably weren't entirely metallic but they wouldn't be sharp and strong without a metallic soul.

Kakashi went through a series of hand signs and spoke softly "Flash!" and a he clapped his hands a huge light exploded from his hands along with a thundering roar.

Sansei had stopped laughing and now was covering his barely used eyes as he was blinded by the powerful flash.

"Damn you Kakashi, fight like a true warrior and stop using this underhanded tricks!"

Sansei had used his blades to start twisting around him as a defensive shield against any attack Kakashi might use while he was blinded.

As he recovered he could start to distinguish figures and he could see Kakashi's shape throwing several kunai at him. He blocked them all using his shield but the attacks had explosive tags that made his blades to spread without control making an opening.

Kakashi began to run in his direction taking advantage of his sudden lack of defense but Sansei had suspected Kakashi would try to open his defense again, the flashy display was unexpected though.

Sansei twisted his legs and two blades sprung from behind, plunging themselves swiftly towards Kakashi who was pierced by them.

Sansei had finally managed to recover his vision and was granted with a most satisfying view; Kakashi was in front of him with his two leg blades piercing his heart and lungs, the look of surprise was most gratifying.

But his victory was short lived as the clone started to glow in front of him

"Shit!" Sansei managed to say as Kakashi exploded in several thunderbolts that were directed at Sansei's body through the blades connecting them. The thunderbolts stroke Sansei hard and made him scream like the day he was born.

When the bolts finally quieted down Sansei was left with multiple burnings through his body and many more inside, his blades were trembling as electrical current still went through them. He was practically paralyzed as his muscles had cramped over the electric attack.

Sansei barely managed to lift his head at the sound of several chirping birds. He saw Kakashi standing in front of him with what looked like a thunder in his hand.

Seeing his helpless situation he just laughed as Kakashi pierced his heart with said thunder.

So Sansei's life came to an end on the glorious battlefield.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Damn it! Those two looked like losers but they actually know what they are doing!" Thought Kitara as she kept running through the trees and dodging shuriken, kunai, and metal claws attached to chains.

Kitara was having quite a trouble fighting the demon brothers, both remained concealed from her sight, thus away from her genjutsu, and every time she attempted to start a counter attack, the brothers managed to cover for each other bringing her attempts to a stop.

Kitara knew she needed to end this quickly in order to help Kakashi but specially to help Naruto and Sasuke who had been the first to engage in battle and so far haven't reported back. Her urge was only increased by the growing bad feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

Kitara needed to reduce the brothers' advantage of distance and concealment, but her little knowledge of the nearby forest made it impossible to track a clearing large enough to give her more space, she would have to improvise.

Kitara stopped running on the ground and quickly leapt to the trees where she continued to evade every ranged attack the demon brothers could come up with. Kitara started to jump from one tree to the other making a large circular course allowing her more time and terrain knowledge.

Once she had completed the circle she had already figured the demon brothers' attack pattern and position. Kitara blindly threw kunai with explosive tags to their locations knowing it would unbalance them giving her time to turn the table on them without their knowledge.

The demon brothers were indeed surprised over her sudden and very violent attack which had succeeded to lose them. Both brothers stood back to back expecting Kitara's attack but after a while nothing was happening.

"Hey Bro! You think she is trying to mess with us?" said one of the brothers.

"Don't know, remember what Sansei sensei said, this girl is one of the renowned Uchiha warriors, we can't take her lightly even if we had her on the run"

"But it has been too long! What if she isn't around here anymore? What if she went to help the Cyclops or worse went straight to the bridge to fight Haku?"

"You are probably right; she would have attacked us by now if she was still around here. Let's return to Sansei sensei and if she isn't there it means she went to the bridge"

At this both brothers leapt to the tress and headed straight back to where Sansei was fighting Kakashi. But as they moved they noticed on one of the trees a bloodstain, they were certain that it wasn't theirs since it looked fresh and none of them was hurt.

"Ha! Looks like we actually hurt her! Then she is probably around here patching herself up! Hurry bro! We should hunt her down while she is weakened!"

Both brothers had touched the blood in order to take a measure of how recent the wound was. Being a couple of assassins they knew the scent of blood very well and it didn't took them long to pick up the blood trail that would certainly lead them to their prize.

As the brothers moved they reassumed their attack pattern so they followed the blood trail from the sides, soon enough they managed to grasp a glimpse of their prey as she clutched her side and kept jumping from one tree to the next.

The brothers noticed that no matter how much speed they put into their chase, Kitara just kept at a steady distance far enough from them as to avoid any projectile they may have. They thought that even wounded an Uchiha was a dangerous ninja, so keeping their distance until she became exhausted out of effort and blood loss was a prudent move.

At some point Kitara started to slow down and constantly checked over her shoulder with sweat and concern on her face. This in turn encouraged the brothers to renew their attack, this time Kitara managed to dodge the projectiles but with apparent effort which only encourage the brothers to attack faster and more recklessly.

At some point Kitara surprised them, by turning around and facing them in clear desperate defiance as any cornered animal would in its last stand. Both brothers saw their chance as Kitara left herself exposed and using the momentum of their chase threw their chained steel claws at her knowing it would gut her easily putting an end to their chase.

To their surprise, each of the brothers had the metal claw of the other gutting them, the Kitara in front of them was still standing in front of them and had a chain coming out from her. Soon enough the image disappeared and the brothers realized they had fell in a powerful long lasting Genjutsu. The realization came too late as both brothers fell to the ground linked by steel as they were linked by blood.

Kitara landed next to the brothers only to check if they were no longer a threat, she was rested and wasn't tired at all; she only had made a small cut on her hand. Since she started jumping through the trees in a long circular pattern, she had already planted some of her blood on each tree she touched thus creating a path which she would use later, when she attacked them with the explosives she had effectively split them and using regular clones fooled them to run in different directions and used her own blood to make a strong long lasting genjutsu that eventually confronted them and led them to their doom.

"Finally, now that I am done I better head over to where Kakashi is!" thought Kitara as she left the forest and went straight towards Kakashi's battlefield.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Kitara reached Kakashi as he was removing his hand from Sansei's chest. He looked very tired and had several cuts throughout his body; his battle was certainly much harder than Kitara's

"You ok Kakashi? Need any help?" Asked Kitara as that horrible feeling started to creep once more.

"I'll be fine, just need some bandages, but more importantly you have to head…"

At that instant both almost dropped to their knees as a terrible pressure crushed them, the air was heavy and that familiar foul and malevolent intent was creeping through them like the very first day they ever tasted a killer intent.

"W-What is this?" asked a winded Kakashi as he attempted to remain steady.

"Oh no! Naruto! Kakashi something horrible just happened! I just know it! This is the same killer intent that Naruto unleashed when I confronted him, something drove him over the edge and right now he is very dangerous"

"Are you certain?" asked Kakashi as he finally recovered his composure.

"Yes! He is under heavy emotional distress and…SASUKE!" screamed Kitara as realization dawned on her and she started running with all her speed towards the bridge.

"Sasuke, please be safe!" was all Kitara could think off.

Kakashi also started to fear the worse and so he also started moving towards the bridge albeit much more slowly.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"**HA HA HA, THIS IS NOT EVEN EXCITING!"** said Naruto as he stood with a foot on top of a now badly beaten Haku.

"**COME ON, WHERE IS YOUR DUTY TO FINISH US OFF, WASN'T YOUR MASTER'S ORDERS TO TAKE DOWN THIS BRIDGE, SLAVE?" **said Naruto as he kicked Haku against a side rail.

Haku had tried at first to fight back the now seemingly demonized Naruto, but he had already spent most of his chakra on the ice mirrors and this Naruto was just too overwhelming. Faster, stronger and apparently invulnerable not to mention the sudden change from a gentle, joyous concerned person to a violent sadistic ninja.

"**YOU ARE NO FUN ANYMORE, AND HERE I WAS THINKING YOU WERE ONE OF THE STRONGEST NINJA. BUT I GUESS I EXPECTED MUCH FROM A LOWLY PRIDE LESS SLAVE!"** said Naruto as he slowly walked towards Haku.

His appearance had changed a lot, his eyes once electric blue now a bright blood red. His whisker like marks had become broader and darker, His hair looked even wilder and his canines had become long sharp fangs on a very menacing grin.

Naruto on his side was feeling like never before, the sensations weren't alien to him but the intensity certainly was. The energy inside him felt flowing uncharacteristically fast and his senses and reflexes were much more enhanced. That he was now displaying a sadistic nature felt completely natural and fair for the task at hand, as a matter of fact he was relishing the new sensations and his complete dominance over the Water ninja. Strangely, that Sasuke was still lying immobile on the ground didn't concern him much anymore, he knew he should be by his side but something strongly compelled him to continue his assault.

Naruto just gave a couple of punches and kicks to a barely standing Haku, said punches were just to inflict even more pain, not to actually kill him.

"**YOU ARE GETTING BORING, SEEMS LIKE I HAVE BEATEN ALL FIGHT FROM YOU! I WONDER HOW COULD BRING FORTH THE LAS****T OF YOUR EFFORTS. I WON'T KILL YOU UNTIL I SEE TRUE DESPAIR IN YOUR EYES, I WON'T SETTLE WITH RESIGNATION TO DEATH. I WILL SEND YOU SCREAMING TO HELL!"** screamed a demented looking Naruto at Haku's face.

Haku knew he was done for, even if Sansei and the demon brothers arrived, it would only give this demon in front of him more victims to unleash his wrath upon. Haku had come to terms with his life as a ninja a long time ago, and knew that his demise might be in such manner.

He was content though he had failed his master in his last mission but he was certain the Lord Zabuza would obtain his dream some day, the only regret in his soul, as he prepared to leave this world, was that he wouldn't see that day.

"**MMM, HOW SHOULD I BRING THAT DESPAIR? WHAT DOES SOMEONE LIKE YOU CAN HOLD DEAR IN THIS WORLD? I KNOW! LITTLE WATER NINJA I COMMEND YOUR LOYALTY AND YOUR DISCIPLINE, BUT I AM AFRAID THAT THE ACTIONS AND SINS YOU COMMITTED ON YOUR MASTER'S NAME MUST BE PAYED FOR AND YOUR SINGLE DEATH WON'T BE ENOUGH AS ATONEMENT. SO THE ONLY WAY TO PURGE YOUR'S AND YOUR MASTER'S SINS, WOULD BE IF I SEND BOTH OF YOU TO HELL, SO ONCE I AM DONE WITH YOU, I WILL HUNT DOWN YOUR MASTER, MAKE HIM SUFFER AND IN THE END SEND HIM TO YOUR SIDE ON A NAMELESS GRAVE! ****HA HA HA, WHAT DO YOU THINK? HA HA HA!" **maniacally said Naruto as he held Haku by the hem of his clothes.

Haku's eyes shot open at that last remark, he graved Naruto's hands and started to channel his chakra one last time. Naruto's hands started to freeze under Haku's.

Haku would sacrifice himself in one last desperate act of loyalty to his master and would encase himself and Naruto in an eternal block of ice. Maybe this way he would be able to bring Naruto's fury to an end and save his master from a certain gruesome death.

But to his grim surprise the ice coating on Naruto shattered as a red aura started to rise from his body and also started to burn his hands.

Haku had no other choice but to let go of Naruto as the pain in his hands became unbearable, he raised his gaze to see an smiling Naruto who seemed glad about his last effort.

"**NOW THAT WAS DANGEROUS****! AND CERTAINLY YOUR LAST EFFORT! NOW THERE IS NOTHING STANDING BETWEEN ME AND YOUR MASTER. HE CAN RUN BUT IN THE END I WILL DESTROY WHOEVER HE SENDS MY WAY AND I WILL CRUSH HIM IN FAR MORE GRUESOME WAY THAN YOU!"**

At the last part Haku knew he had been utterly vanquished and that this demon had the power to carry on his promise. His master's wishes would soon come to a crashing end and all the life's he had taken would be for naught, his entire life of sacrifice and devotion would be meaningless.

Haku felt despair for the first time since he killed his father and wandered alone.

"**THAT'S THE ATTITUDE I WAS LOOKING FOR! MAYBE YOU HAVE A MASK BUT I CAN FEEL YOUR DESPAIR! NOW YOU ARE READY FOR HELL!"** Said Naruto as he raised his hand in a claw like gesture and a large red Rasengan formed in his hand as he caught Haku by the neck and brought him to his face with the other.

"**BUT JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT. I WANT TO SEE THE DESPAIR ON YOUR EYES AT LEAST ONCE"** said Naruto as he delivered a powerful head butt that split the mask in two revealing the young man he just saw the day before and had taught him a valuable lesson over true strength.

"What…?" said Naruto as realization dawned on him and much of his fury turned into confusion making the Rasengan in his right hand to dissipate.

Just in that moment a panting Kitara arrived at the scene. To her horror, Sasuke remained motionless on the ground while Naruto had those terrifying red eyes and the water ninja was clearly beaten.

Kitara overcame her fear for Naruto's current condition and went straight to check on Sasuke who still had the 3 Senbon stuck on his chest. She turned him around and saw with concern the many Senbon stuck on his body. She first checked his pulse but she couldn't feel it, knowing that time was short she removed the Senbon on his chest leaving small drops of blood to fall on Sasuke's chest and started to massage his heart.

Once again she tried to feel his pulse but her excited state didn't allowed to concentrate properly on the feel.

"Sorry Sasuke, guess I will claim your first kiss" at this she was about to give him mouth to mouth.

As her mouth drew near, Sasuke barely mumbled "Stay away from me Kitara…"

Sasuke opened his eyes weakly and was received by the watery eyes of her cousin, scratch that, her sister.

"Hi there Sasuke, don't worry we won, take it easy you had a close call back there" said a now crying Kitara.

"Where is Naruto? Did he defeated the Water ninja? Is he alive?" asked a now more conscious Sasuke.

Kitara now remembered where she was and what did she witnessed before aiding Sasuke, with a heavy conscience she grabbed her small blade and activated her Sharingan as she turned around to face Naruto as she blocked Sasuke from seeing Naruto like that.

Naruto was still holding Haku by the throat but lowered him so he could stand and breathe a little. His features were still demon like, but were starting to recede as he watched Sasuke stirring and became very sad when Kitara stood in a frightful defensive position. He knew she wasn't scared of Haku but of him.

It was now he actually took real conscience of his actions and was barely able to think he was relishing every one of them. Still that didn't explain Kitara's behavior.

No longer concerned about the badly beaten and half dead Water ninja he dropped him and slowly walked towards Kitara. She flinched at his approach and readied herself further for battle.

Naruto wondered why but Kitara's eyes remained glued on his face, more like his eyes. So he kneeled by one of the shattered ice mirrors that were starting to melt. Naruto nearly screamed at the image; gone were his blue eyes and not replaced by the golden toad ones but by evil looking bright red ones, his canines were sprouting out from his mouth into large fangs and his whiskers were now thick dark markings on his face.

Naruto nearly screamed by his new features but calmed and wondered if it was some sort of accidental sage mode, after all he was warned to be calm when using the nature chakra since it was dangerous to allow distractions, though he was certain he got it right like so many times before.

"**KITARA!"** said Naruto in a very unfamiliar voice that was almost booming. He became quiet after that, even he got scared of the diabolical voice.

He started breathing and seeing Sasuke moving calmed him greatly.

Kitara was still on edge as Naruto started to take deep breaths, she was relieved when those horrible features started to fade from Naruto and his eyes turned blue once again, still she remained on guard since Sasuke was very vulnerable.

Kakashi had finally arrived to see the odd scene where Kitara stood in a defensive position between Sasuke and Naruto. The Water ninja was clearly defeated and barely moving on the ground.

"Would someone explain me what's going on?" asked Kakashi as he limped close to his team, but his doubts had to wait since a loud rumbling interrupted them.

As the mist started to clear from the bridge it revealed a large number of heavily armed mercenaries that climbed the bridge from several trading boats with Gatou's symbol on them.

At the head of the group stood the small man who had brought the darkest times on the Land of Waves for a long time. Gatou walked serenely towards the battered ninjas who in his opinion were almost death.

"It seems the Uchiha were too much for the Water ninjas; fortunately they did a fine number on you leaving you all perfect for the finishing blow. This way I win no more Uchiha, no more Zabuza, no more Tazuna and no more Bridge. This land belongs to me now, and no one will be able to dispute it!"

Naruto jumped in front of Kitara, Kakashi and Sasuke and prepared for combat, nonetheless the sheer number of mercenaries made it a trouble to fight them and protect the others. Kitara didn't looked very wounded but still he worried about Kakashi and Sasuke who could barely move.

Just as Gatou was about to order his men to advance and annihilate the remaining Ninja, an arrow struck him dead center on his chest. With a look of surprise Gatou fell death before his men.

The mist had finally receded and on the other side of the bridge stood the entire population of Wave, all clad in rusty armors or makeshift ones, holding all kinds of weapons, bows and crossbows.

Inari who was dressed in a similar fashion was reloading his large hunting crossbow, while Tazuna, clad in his old Uchiha auxilia armor, stepped in front of his "army"

"Attention Gatou's mercenaries, your leader is death and so is any chance of getting payment from him, if you value your lives you will leave this lands and never return"

The mercenaries looked to each other and knew that even if they were outnumbered there was no real warrior among the villagers, it should be an easy fight and then they would be able to loot the land with leisure.

Naruto noticed the smirk on the mercenaries and knew what they were planning. His chakra reserves were still on a high but they felt like in turmoil so before attempting to use a Jutsu he tried to follow Kakashi's advice over his own killer intent.

Looking back at Haku he tried to remember what he felt when Sasuke was taken down, when Riku was killed. That desire for immediate retribution, that lava hot desire to kill. After searching he finally grasped the feeling and started to aim it directly to the mercenaries.

At once all of the mercenaries felt the immense pressure on their souls, the sheer feeling that their deaths were impersonated on the red cloaked blonde in front of them. Said terror just kept growing as Naruto walked in their direction and turned into despair when he raised his look at them.

On that moment many mercenaries fell unconscious to the ground and the rest dropped their weapons and started to drop down on the boats in their desperate attempt to escape the monster in front of them.

On their side most of the villagers and the remaining ninja didn't felt the brunt of Naruto's killer intent but they could perceive the dread that was flowing in the air as the mercenaries broke down and fled.

A part inside Naruto wanted to jump at them and shred them to pieces but as they fled his intent to do it lessened greatly and was replaced with concern over his friends and the people of Wave.

Naruto turned and headed towards his comrades and the people, but everyone seemed weary of his presence, the display of such powerful aura struck them hard even if he wasn't directing it in their direction. Seeing this he felt a bit sad so in order to reassure them of his allegiance he gave them his wider smile and a piece symbol.

"What's with those looks? we just won! The bridge will be finished and everyone will be safe!"

Strangely enough people also started to smile and at his remark they sheered for in truth they were free from Gatou and now they could stand for themselves as a nation.

Kitara relaxed seeing Naruto being thrown in the air by the villagers as he laughed good heartily.

"You thought he was going to lose it, right?" said Kakashi as he slumped next to her and Sasuke.

"When I arrived he was about to finish the Water ninja but something was wrong with him, it felt like the time on the boat. It felt like everything in his grasp was in danger. And the look on his face, not only the red eyes but the joy of what he was doing" said Kitara as she had Sasuke's head resting on her lap.

"I understand that kind of killer intent is almost unnatural and given his behavior, it probably changes him as well. Glad he is back to normal"

The villagers had also grabbed Haku and tied him up since they would let the Uchiha decided his fate.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The Land of Waves has never been an important location, it has always been a humble land of fishermen who lived simple poor lives, wars have gone by and it always has been the same for this land.

Then one day clouds of darkness shadowed this lands and smashed the peace it always had, a few brave souls raised to fight it and though the odds were against them, their courageous spirit pierced those clouds and kindled in the people of this lands something they thought they didn't had, strength.

The small war that took place in the Waves finally ended and its people now had higher hopes for the future as the entire nation contributed to the building of the bridge knowing it would bring better days for themselves and their children.

Today marked nearly a month since the Uchiha arrived with the sage Naruto and helped the people of these lands to attain freedom from criminals. The people saw with joy that since the threat was gone the Uchiha sent several tons of food and supplies as a goodwill sign of further friendship and commitment. Of course Tazuna knew better but in the end small nations always end up devoured by bigger ones; this was the best possible arrangement.

The bridge was just a couple of days from completion and the entire Uchiha group has healed their wounds, nonetheless their relationship was strained. Sasuke resumed his exercises after finding out how easily Naruto had defeated the Water ninja, his pride was wounded, Kakashi took longer to recover since several of his nerves on his leg were damaged by Sansei's blades, and Naruto became distant from everyone else, which unsettled Kitara to no end.

Naruto's behavior became distant from everyone in the team and in the village for that matter, gone was his joyous and loud behavior and one could always see him a bit nervous and avoiding people as much as he could, especially Kitara.

Kitara was at first a bit distant of Naruto but not out of fear but because she had devoted herself to take care of Sasuke as his wounds healed. Kitara finally realized his reasons to be apart so she decided to right that wrong.

Naruto was on one of the sentry towers built by the entrance of the bridge heading towards Water. Lately he had grown concerned over that strange and terrible power he had unleashed in battle against Haku, if by some reason he had lost control it was very likely he would have hurt more people than just Haku. Perhaps it was too soon to call him a Sage, perhaps it was too soon to leave Myoboku.

As Naruto pondered all this Kitara had managed to get near without being detected, she had to resort to this kind of measures since Naruto always found an excuse to not talk to her and disappear for the rest of the day.

"Guess who?" said Kitara as she placed her hands on Naruto's eyes.

Naruto though reacted in a defensive manner and grabbing Kitara spun her around and had her on a headlock, but allowed her to go once he realized his terrible mistake.

"I am sorry Kitara! It won't happen again I promise!" said Naruto almost panicking as was already approaching the edge of the tower to disappear for the rest of the day.

"Stop right there Naruto!" said Kitara as she rubbed her neck "You have been avoiding me for the past month and I am tired of it! Now tell me what exactly is wrong with you!"

Naruto stopped at her command and turned around not sure of what to say "I don't know, ever since the battle I have been thinking and just well I am just distracted"

"I don't think so sir, you have been exchanging a few words with Kakashi and Sasuke ever since but every time I am near you, you just disappear! Please Naruto, am I not your friend?"

Naruto flinched on the last remark and now looked ashamed "I am sorry Kitara, the thing is, well, I think you are scared of me and by what I did back on the day of battle, you looked so frightened and you had your Sharingan activated. I just presumed you were scared of me, besides I failed to protect Sasuke as I promised"

Now it was turn for Kitara to feel ashamed, she felt really uncomfortable now that she realized she was the source of his behavior.

"Naruto, I am not scared, how could I? Yes you surprised me back then but I was so worried about Sasuke that I feared your battle with Haku might hurt him further, that's why I took such stance. I could never feel scared of you except if you were to fight me, I mean you are almost unstoppable, and Sasuke is already a ninja, he explained me what he did and why he did it, if at all this proves how great a ninja he can be and believe me I bear no grudge against you" said Kitara knowing that she was indeed scared back at the moment, but few people wouldn't have been in front of such overwhelming presence.

Naruto though didn't catch the lie and smiled, being relieved that one of her friends still thought highly of him. "Thanks Kitara chan, you are a wonderful person. You are concerned for Sasuke as if you were his true sister and you always treat me nicely. Thanks Kitara chan, I will be more careful from now on"

Now it was Kitara's turn to feel awful, she truly was scared back then, she was ready to fight him and kill him if needed and above all had the mission to keep him under surveillance. She could only think of one thing to apologize to such loving person.

She swiftly moved forward and caught Naruto's lips by surprise, giving him a long heartfelt kiss.

Naruto blushed madly and stumbled backwards as he was very surprised "W-What are you doing Kitara?

"Giving you what you deserve Naruto, you are kind, noble, loyal and thoughtful. I am grateful I got the chance to meet you. Living as an Uchiha and an expert assassin means to be crafty and lie a lot. That made me a kind of a bad person you know? So meeting someone like you is a relief from that life and I just want to be with you a little longer" said an almost pleading Kitara.

For a second Naruto considered the idea Kitara was perhaps manipulating but she was a valued friend so he just decided to comply and moved forward to hold her close and see the sunset atop of the tower. Kitara though had a different idea of what she wanted to give Naruto; after all he was already a MAN (you know what I mean)

**LEMON ALERT (At long last!)**

Kitara jumped into Naruto's open arms knocking him on the floor while straddling him. Kitara started to kiss him all over his face while removing Naruto's coat and shirt.

Naruto was dumbfounded by Kitara's assault and for a moment thought he was once again target to some sort of setup by a sex driven female, maybe they were the perverts.

Once again, as Kitara kept kissing him in a wild manner, something within Naruto stirred again and soon after was already reciprocating Kitara's actions with his own. Naruto also started to remove Kitara's battle shirt and the mesh armor beneath while slightly gracing Kitara's breast which were slightly larger than Ino's and way bigger than Sakura's but not huge like Tsunade.

This earned him a low moan from Kitara as she started to give playful bites on Naruto's neck as Naruto finished undressing her upper half.

Kitara rose from her position while covering her breasts and watching Naruto in an endearing manner. Naruto on his side only had desire in his eyes for the beautiful woman in front of him, so he quickly rolled over to put Kitara under him and as he kissed her deeply he started to remove Kitara's pants while his other hand started to play with her breasts.

Kitara was pleased with Naruto's eagerness but she wanted to take it more slowly and enjoy her time with him, so she started to use her tongue to subdue him and give a new form of pleasure. Naruto effectively slowed down his actions and enjoyed the kiss; nonetheless he started to rub Kitara's nether regions as she had started to roam her hands over his chest and lower.

Kitara parted with Naruto as she was now straddling him and rubbing her sex against Naruto's. On his side Naruto started to massage more aggressively Kitara's breast and play with her increasingly hard nipples earning him low sweet moans from Kitara. Kitara in response increased her rhythm on Naruto as she undid her high pony tail letting her black hair cascade to the sides of her face.

As Naruto started groaning under Kitara's movements on his lower areas so Kitara moved back puling Naruto's pants with her freeing his throbbing erection from it. Kitara quickly took his cock and started licking it as she massaged it with her hand. Naruto was in utter bliss but it soon became impossible to hold as Kitara started to suck him with incredible force, so when he neared his release he took a hold of Kitara' head and kept it in place as he came in her mouth.

Kitara sucked him dry and rose with a smile "Well Naruto chan, that was bit rough from you. How will you compensate me? Mmm?

Naruto didn't answered and instead removed the last pieces of clothing left on Kitara and quickly spread her legs as he assaulted her wet pussy. Kitara was amazed by his skill, certainly Tsunade and Sakura trained him well, at that thought she blushed a little remembering the time when she spied on the trio and their long sex session. Now she was wondering if she would be able to last as long as Naruto could.

But her thoughts were interrupted as the pleasure increased and soon her first orgasm was hitting her. Kitara moaned loudly and mewled as her first orgasm washed on her, on his side Naruto wasn't done so he sped up his assault on her making her orgasm drag on longer and quickly brought a second one.

Kitara was surprised, she never had two orgasms hitting her so quickly except that one time with some of the other young kunoichi aspirants in the showers, but that's another story.

Naruto rose from between her legs and approached Kitara's face while licking his lips, Kitara could feel him lining himself to enter her, so she placed her hands on his shoulders "Be gentle, it's been some time…"

Naruto smiled sweetly and kissed her as he slowly made his way inside and kept a slow piston move which was driving Kitara mad with pleasure she haven't felt in a long time.

Naruto stopped kissing Kitara as he concentrated on ramming her with increasing speed, Kitara was starting to moan louder and louder as Naruto increased the force and speed of his thrusts.

"Ahhh, Naruto you are too good! Ahhh Ahhh Ahhh" screamed Kitara as another orgasm was quickly approaching. Naruto knew by the clamping sensation that she was about to cum, so he doubled his efforts making Kitara cum instantly and he dragged it longer by keeping the rhythm.

Naruto slowed down but he hadn't had his release yet so taking the panting Kitara in his arms, raised her so he was fucking her in a sitting position.

Kitara's mind was clouded with pleasure when Naruto surprised her with the new position and entering her more deeply. She clung to him with her legs and hold herself with her arms around his neck as Naruto bounced her on him harder and harder.

Naruto was very pleased with the sensation of Kitara's fingernails scraping his backside, so feeling his own release coming, sped up making Kitara dig her face in his neck to avoid screaming.

Naruto slammed one more time Kitara on his lap and grinding deeply inside of her unleashing his seed into her expecting womb. At this moment feeling the hot substance inside her Kitara bit Naruto's neck to avoid screaming and probably alerting all of Wave of her "fun"

Naruto fell on his back as Kitara rested on top of him panting with unfocused eyes. Kitara managed to recover and smiling sweetly said "Ready for another round?" Naruto grinned wildly at that.

**Lemon end (T_T)**

That night Sasuke wondered where the hell were Naruto and his cousin, but some odd feeling told him he was better not knowing.

**AN: Finally done, geez that was one of the hardest chapters to write ever. This chapter started very slow and honestly I didn't knew exactly how to keep writing it, the Uchiha arc has given me serious trouble to complete**** and my mind wandered into my side story and some other stuff.**

**Next chapter will take some time since I will take time to write another chapter for my other story. Next chapter is the end of the Uchiha arc and also the revelation of one of the main plot elements.**

**I have noticed people isn't reviewing like they used to, so please leave a reviem, even if it's something silly like good job or something, positive reviews are like fuel to writers so if you want me to update faster give me reasons for it, it's hard you know?**

**Anyway, Read, Review and Enjoy.**


	18. Judgment and Parting

**Chapter 17: Judgment and Parting**

This was the last day of the four man team in the Land of Waves. The bridge was finished, reinforcements had arrived and that land saw the first traders setting up shops and hiring people for them, everything seemed going according to plan.

Except for one little thing, what to do with Haku? At this moment the four heroes of Wave were deciding what to do with the Water Ninja before heading back to Fire Breath. The three Uchiha ninja wanted to bring him back to their Lord and let him have it, but Naruto wasn't as certain of this.

In the following weeks after the battle Naruto had gone to Haku several times to speak with him and try to understand him better. Haku was a very rare kind of person, one who was fully committed to his master but now seemed broken and without a goal in his life, like if defeat has literally stripped him of his soul. Because of this Haku stopped eating altogether spent most of his days sleeping as if he didn't wanted to be awake and aware of the world where he was no longer needed by anyone, where there was nothing but solitude.

Naruto actually felt pity for Haku and though he was still greatly resented for the battle, Kitara had told him that the Senbon in Sasuke's chest wouldn't have been enough to kill him that the worst was to put him in a death like state but not fully death. Naruto saw that even if he was commanded by Zabuza's terrible orders, he still had a bit of compassion within. Redemption was still possible for the young ninja.

"Naruto! Why do you want to spare this scumbag? He battled us, nearly killed us and wanted to destroy the last hope of this people! We should send him to prison in Fire Breath and make him tell us everything about Zabuza!" nearly screamed Sasuke at a pensive Naruto while Kakashi and Kitara observed.

"He is no longer our enemy, and if not ordered to, never would have. He is already severely weakened by his refusal to eat, he has lost all will to exist. That alone should be enough punishment. He has had no one to truly care for him and never had the chance to decide his path for himself. All I want is to give him a chance to be free, is it too much to ask?"

"Yes! He is the enemy, if we give him the chance he would return to Zabuza and become our enemy another day. And that day we may not be as lucky! Besides with this actions Zabuza had declared us his enemies! We must get every bit of information out of him before he dies or escapes!" said a raging Sasuke.

Kakashi and Kitara were in a strange position, since Naruto and Sasuke were now battling like two lords over a discussion, the authority in their voices was new for them and their reasons all too valid.

"Haku said so himself, even if he could return, Zabuza would not take him since he has failed. Dead didn't granted him freedom but failure did. He can start anew and lead an honorable life, all he needs is the chance!" said Naruto responding to Sasuke in the same tone.

"How can you defend him yet? He killed men from my clan and nearly killed me, how you expect him to make those crimes right? What can he do that could earn him freedom?"Screamed Sasuke staring right into Naruto's eyes. To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke's eyes didn't showed rage or anger but confusion. Could it be because Naruto wasn't on his side? Or could it be that he as well wanted to show mercy but his pride and standing didn't allow him to?

"He may not have the ability to give life back to those men, but he does have the ability to help save many. He has been Zabuza's subordinate from the very beginning, ever since Zabuza began his bid for conquest of the Land of Water. It is unlikely he will betray his master's secrets but perhaps he could tell us something that may help us put an end to the fighting in Water"

"What?" replied Sasuke not clearly understanding Naruto's perspective.

"Sasuke look, the conflict in Water is what triggered all the events that led us here. Kitara's mission to Water, the smuggling and all the things we battled has been because of the power struggle within Water. As long as the conflict rages as it is, the Land of Fire will keep having trouble because of it. Zabuza is unlikely to give up over losing Haku as his agent, as we saw he commands and army of dangerous ninja and lastly Haku will die before we can have any significant information, and torture is unlikely to improve that" explained Naruto.

Sasuke was a bit taken aback; so far Naruto never behaved like a tactician but more like a soldier, but had to admit that Naruto's perspective was correct. As long as the conflict for dominance continues in Water, the more problems it would cause for the Land of Fire as the wealthiest nation neighboring Water. More criminals, mercenaries and illegal activities would start to take place within Fire spreading turmoil through the land and the first clan to be affected would be his given the wider border with Water and being the most prosperous clan in the vicinity.

Curiously, Water had always been divided in many bloody clans vying for power and control, but mostly keeping the conflict within the land, but ever since Zabuza gathered under his banner hundreds of clan less warriors and had a very ambitious agenda the conflict turned into a single warlord crushing one clan after the other. The conflict must have readjusted itself as to compensate for the new rules which meant that an opposing party met Zabuza's challenge and is making the conflict into a real civil war in Water, making the conflict spill over to the neighboring lands and nations. Wave could repeat itself in several neutral small lands and nations in the periphery of Water. The conflict could drag Fire into it if not stopped soon.

"I think I understand what you are saying, so far we have been seeing the conflict in Water as a small domestic issue of that land but reality is the conflict within is growing more larger and desperate as to start affecting Water's neighbors. The best solution to avoid things like Wave again would be to help end the conflict or restore Water to its former status quo" said Sasuke considering the new perspective.

"Exactly! Haku is a decent person, even all after Zabuza put him through, he may not reveal Zabuza's secrets but may as well give us the required Intel to put an end to the conflict in water. But to do that we must give him a second chance, something he will accept!" exclaimed Naruto, glad that Sasuke understood his position.

At this Kakashi interjected "Naruto, Sasuke, even if what you say is correct, it is not our place to determine this prisoner's fate. What kind of ninja would even consider releasing a prisoner as dangerous as this?"

Naruto got a bit angry for that "With all the respect for the Uchiha and their ninja, but I was the one who defeated Haku and thus he is my prisoner, and as such I am entitled to do what I want with him. Because he killed Uchiha ninja, I am letting you all give your opinion on this matter since I value what your insights on this manner may be. But giving him to lord Fugaku would not guarantee Haku's life or that conclusive actions would be taken to help end the conflict in Water"

Kakashi was a bit surprised over Naruto's response but had to agree that Fugaku wouldn't be even considering these words, in the past few years Fugaku's desire for an increased strength of the Uchiha has driven the Uchiha to take more dangerous actions and dabble in the politics of the smaller nations and lands around. The bridge itself was a very visible evidence of those policies.

Kitara seeing that Naruto was starting to notice the Uchiha's covert actions decided to try and keep his suspicions low "And what do you suggest we do with the info Haku may give?"

"We present the information to lord Fugaku and as the wise tactician he is, he would consider that peaceful or more calmed Water is beneficial in the long run. Trade would increase, security wouldn't be a problem in the future and the threat of war would disappear. In exchange we could let Haku go and not surrender him to imprisonment" said Naruto while hopefully looking at Kitara.

Kitara giving up to those eyes just sighed and said "Fine, guess you are too stubborn to try and convince you otherwise, still I think it will be useless. Haku is spiritually smashed, he is a like a wounded animal waiting patiently for dead to claim him"

Naruto gave his widest smile and just said "Leave it to the awesome Sage!"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Its night time again…I wonder how many days have passed…why is dead so swift in battle and so slow in peace? Perhaps I am to suffer for the lives I have taken in my master's name…Have anything I did worth those sins?" mumbled Haku as he watches the full moon through his makeshift cell

"I wouldn't know about that one, but to whom would those actions have been worth for? Your master? Yourself?" asked Naruto as he sat across Haku on the other side of the cell.

For some time now Naruto had been visiting Haku in an attempt to figure Haku out, so far most of the people he had met were defined on their beliefs and weren't that different from him. But Haku presented a whole new kind of person, a man molded into a tool, whose sole purpose was to serve and if failed to be left to die. But he knew that deep down, under the conditioning Zabuza gave him, a good and wise person lurked, proof of that was the valuable lesson about strength he gave him when they first "met" he would try to save him even if he didn't wanted to.

Haku was by now used to this late night visits from the Sage, usually Naruto did most of the talking and Haku spent hours listening though he pretended to be asleep. This way Haku has come to know of Naruto's existence, his journey, his grief, his victories, his friends, his father. Naruto had willingly displayed his entire life before Haku who still wondered what did the Sage hoped to achieve. Not once had the Sage asked him about his master's operations, his bases, his movements or future plans; those were the kind of questions he had been expecting as a ninja, but instead Naruto just asked him about the places he had visited with his master, the people he had come to know, the reasons to wear a dress, even about the little rabbit that used to be his pet.

Haku was already set on dying since his defeat and so stopped eating and limited himself to just drink some water from time to time. He wouldn't give the Uchiha anything to bring harm to his master, if he was no longer useful to him at least he would make sure to not be useful for his enemies.

"You know, what I said at the bridge? I meant it" said Naruto as he was now also watching the full moon while laying on his back.

Haku was a bit curious about that, he couldn't remember well everything said on the battle.

"That it was a shame I wasn't there for you when you needed help and were all alone. Maybe your life would have been different, wouldn't it?" said Naruto as he smiled gently at the moon.

"But you weren't, Zabuza was there and he saved me, I became his property to do carry out his will" said Haku while softly staring at the moon.

"I hear you. But you are no longer meant to be by his side, according to you, he will no longer take you" replied Naruto.

"That is true, so I have nowhere to go, only death seems fitting for my actions" said Haku in a whisper.

"Do you consider yourself a ninja?" asked Naruto

"As a ninja I am a tool and so it is the same whatever name you give me" replied an increasingly annoyed Haku.

"Then can a tool be made responsible for his wielder's actions? Last time I checked it's the ninja holding the kunai the one held accountable for his actions" said Naruto as he tilted his head to observe Haku.

"I was the one holding the weapons that brought death to many!" almost screamed Haku.

"Did you ever want to take any of those lives? In your eyes did any of those people deserved to die?" calmly asked Naruto.

Haku was rendered speechless, he never liked killing people but was content enough that it was something that pleased his master, he never gave it much thought. Did those people deserved to be death? did he wanted to kill them? Or he just did as his master commanded? He never really had anything against those his master sent after, thinking it back if they were his master's enemies probably they were as bad he was, so maybe they did deserved death. But the real question in the end was, did I wanted them dead?

"To be honest I never really liked killing, but I was good at nothing else and it pleased my master greatly. I didn't wanted to be left alone again so I just did his command without question" replied a confused Haku.

"How about doing what you want for a chance? Living your life for yourself?" said Naruto as was now staring directly at Haku.

"What?" replied Haku while averting his gaze from Naruto.

"You are no longer bound to be by his side, you are alive and you are free. And this time you are strong enough to fend for yourself, there is a wonderful huge world out there to explore and lot's of great people who will be your friends if you want!" said Naruto with great conviction.

"But all those people I killed and didn't deserved it…" replied Haku as some tears started to roll down his face.

"Then live! If you want atonement then earn it! Death solves and pays nothing, it's a coward's escape route! Zabuza trained you to be strong and stand by his side! Maybe his reasons were selfish but he gave you tools and now that you are no longer by his side, it's time for you take your own path! Use those deadly tools and make something worth of them! Show Zabuza your worth!"

"Something worth? Will that give me redemption?" asked Haku as more tears fell by his face.

"I don't know but, I am looking for something worth to do with my skills. But I do know I would like to stop tragedies from happening to people I care. I have a great power but so far I have made countless mistakes and saving this land was the first step in the right direction. Say you have something worth you want to do with that awesome power of yours?"

Haku laughed a bit at Naruto's remark of his Kekei Genkai and replied. "As you probably know by now, skills like mine are highly discriminated in Water. Because of this, many people like me are persecuted, killed or enslaved for mercenary armies. My mother managed to conceal her skills all her life and had managed to hide it from my father as well when they married. They lived as a humble but happy couple in an isolated village in some mountains on the northern island of Water. As I grew up my mother probably feared I would develop the same skills but nothing indicated I possessed them, and so she grew confident she would never be caught or myself. But on my sixth birthday I discovered I could manipulate water and turn it into snow or ice, I was overjoyed to be blessed with such skills. My mother noticed and told me to never use those skill again but my father had witnessed it all and in despair told it to the villagers. They ganged up on my mother and killed her and kept searching the town for me until they found me hidden in a small cabin near a lake, where my mother once told me to hide in case of attack. They found me and were about to kill me, my own father held the same bloody knife he used to slain my mother just minutes before. In fear or anger, can't remember now, I summoned my skills and killed him and all the villagers that came after me, and knowing I didn't had a home anymore wandered off down the mountains. In this travels I was about to die since no one ever taught me how to hunt and mother always said to never steal from others, so I just awaited the gentle veil of death to claim me. At this point Zabuza noticed me and seeing the loneliness in my eyes he told me to walk by his side, that his goal was to end the mindless pitiful wars among the clans of Water and unite them in a glorious nation that would seed fear in the hearts of its enemies, and that people like me would be his sword and his shield. I was happy that someone needed me, that someone took me and would give me a future, give me the chance and others like me to be of use to our home and no longer feel scared. I shared his dream of uniting Water and for that I would do anything for him"

Once again Haku was surprised by Naruto's reactions, he was teary and with a face of utter admiration. At this Naruto wiped his eyes clean and smiling told Haku

"Then take your skills and work for that goal your own way, you won't be going back to Zabuza but maybe you can find a better path to unite Water and keep people from suffering like you. And even if this brings you to confront Zabuza, you must believe in yourself. After all, your goal is to bring unity and peace to Water, you could give that to Zabuza"

Haku blinked and replied "You mean, fulfilling my master's dream by myself?"

Naruto loudly replied "Yeah! If you bring unity or help doing so, Zabuza will have no other choice but acknowledge you as an equal and no longer as his tool. This time you will be able to be by his side not by duty but maybe in comradeship. The way he is trying to unite Water will only make more people suffer before he attains his ambition, give him a better path! You have kindness that not even years of serving him could remove, I am sure you can change the man! All you have to do is agree and if you need help, you can always let me know!"

Haku never considered the possibility of making his master's dream into his own, but in essence it has always been like that. He could unite the land and share it with Zabuza, no longer as master and servant but as friends. Stop all the suffering rendered by generations of fighting and as his master said, end the pitiful clan wars in Water.

Determined he asked "What do I have to do so you guys let me go?"

Naruto pleased to hear that "Tell us what's the current situation in Water, that way the Uchiha and I could possibly find a way to end the conflict"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Having a new goal in life Haku quickly regained his strength and had now vastly changed his appearance, at Naruto and Sasuke's request. Now he was wearing simple traveling clothes and a short haircut that made him look much manlier, certainly no one was going to confuse him anymore.

Haku had explained that Water was currently divided in 3 factions, two of them actively fighting each other while the third one remained neutral to the conflict. One of the factions was the Momochi Raiders and the other was the Mist Dwellers. According to Haku the Mist Dwellers were formed by several northern clans and survivors of clans destroyed by Zabuza, their numbers weren't so numerous as those from Zabuza but they made up with better warrior quality and more defendable positions in the northern island of Water; their leader is a clever woman called Mei Terumi (Is this right?) who banded them together and answered Zabuza's challenge, Haku didn't knew much about her beyond her name and standing. At the moment given the financial losses, Zabuza's offensive was stalled and while he recovered a small unofficial truce was in place, but the situation was tense.

With this information Sasuke and Kitara assured Naruto that the Uchiha could better help end the conflict and perhaps aid in Water's recovery, both seemed very confident that it was possible but Kakashi had his doubts about what Lord Fugaku would do with that information. Given his latest actions a bid for conquest of Water wasn't so far from reality given the current peace in Fire.

Having given all the information he was willing to share, Haku made his farewells and deeply apologized for the suffering he had helped apply to Wave. Haku smiled at his first true friend and departed back towards Water to find and fulfill his own destiny.

Naruto screamed at Haku that if he ever wanted to reach him, he would be traveling south and west for the following months.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The group was now heading back to Fire Breath, Sasuke was a bit bothered by the fact that Naruto and Kitara walked together most of the time and in couple of chances he managed to glimpse a rosy color in his cousin's cheeks. And knowing Naruto's previous "conquests" didn't put his mind at ease.

But all of these happy thoughts ended when they watched the city from afar, the walls were all covered with long black sheets and every banner of the Uchiha was changed with those commonly used for funerary services, the Uchiha fan in a black back. This only meant someone of great importance just passed away.

Kitara and Sasuke rushed to the city upon witnessing the grim scene while Naruto and Kakashi ran quickly after them.

Upon arriving at the city every citizen was dressed for the funerary services that were apparently already scheduled to begin and everyone sent apologetic looks to the two Uchiha's. Sasuke fearing the worst didn't ask what had happened and just rushed towards the main district and the palace with Kitara close behind him.

Upon arriving the guards of the palace were clad in black ceremonial armors and black death masks. This did nothing but increase Sasuke's and Kitara's dread and just kept running into the palace were word of their arrival had already been notified.

In the main corridor stood Mikoto with her hair cut short and wearing a long elegant black dress. Both Sasuke and Kitara stopped in front of her panting, Mikoto raised her arms and embraced Sasuke as warmly as any mother could and softly whispered into his ear "Your Father…"

Sasuke felt his whole body drained of any strength or knowledge to remain standing and slowly fell into his mother's embrace who gently dragged him to the ground where they knelt holing each other close.

Kitara had her hands over her mouth as fresh warm tears started to leave her eyes, not so much for Fugaku's death but for Sasuke's current state. But at that moment a thousand questions rushed into her mind and she didn't like the early conclusions she was getting.

Sasuke sobbed very little and with a trembling voice he managed to ask "How? When?"

Mikoto held him closer and whispered back, not wanting to withhold anything from her son "Murdered, at the first hours of this day. Sasuke, be calm but everything points at Itachi to be the one who did it"

Sasuke was frozen at those words; they seemed so unreal that for a moment he thought he was dreaming and that Naruto's loud voice would stir him awake. But the warm embrace from his mother told him that this moment was as real as any other. Cold fury quickly overtook him and soon he felt his strength returning.

Sasuke left his mother's embrace and coldly asked "Is Itachi death? Was he captured?"

Mikoto casted her glance to the other side and quietly answered "No, he escaped, trackers followed him a few miles away from the city but Itachi left them unconscious and erased every trace of his destination"

Sasuke frowned deeply and continued "Why? Was he provoked?"

Mikoto answered again "No, guards heard a fight taking place in the training square behind the palace. There they found Shisui's corpse. Afterwards the whole palace was in an uproar and when they went to inform your father, they found him death with Itachi's blade piercing his chest. No clues were left behind in regards to his actions but when someone caught him climbing the district's wall, it was confirmed that Itachi had left the palace and was somehow involved in the murders"

Sasuke rose to his feet and quickly secured his holster and dropped his back pack, he was getting ready to call the black Uchiha elites and begin the search for his traitorous brother. As he was about to leave both Mikoto and Kitara grabbed his hands while sobbing.

Mikoto spoke first "Don't my son, don't let the anger cloud your common sense, and right now is the moment for mourning and the clan needs you. With Itachi's betrayal and your father's demise the can is effectively leaderless. You are young my son, but yours is now the duty to lead us"

Kitara added with much grief "Besides, you must know. As you stand right now, you can't possibly defeat Itachi, give it time before you forfeit your own life"

Sasuke was trembling with rage, how could the brother he used to idolize kill his own father and best friend? How could he forfeit his grand destiny as future clan leader? But as his confusion rose, he started to form his own answers. Itachi never cared for him or any other, those tiny gentle smiles he gave from time to time were nothing but ones of contempt. He never loved his family or his clan, he was content in remaining the strongest one among his people, that's why he never trained me, that' why he never shared knowledge with me, he wanted to keep me down as the second best, he wanted to remain the strongest man alive. He probably killed Father because he commanded him to train me or perhaps share his strength and knowledge with others to make us stronger as a lot. And he killed Shisui because he was also one of the strongest and perhaps discovered Itachi's selfish reasons.

But the gravest insult was that he denied him the possibility of receiving his father's praise over his victory in Wave. Now any praise from his father would be silent.

Sasuke ceased to tremble and gently taking his mother and cousin's hands said "Don't worry I understand my position and unlike my brother I will not turn my back on my people. I'll deal with him later…for now let us prepare for the ceremonies ahead of us"

Naruto and Kakashi had been filled in the situation but nothing they said would bring much solace to the grieving family, all they could do was to watch in silent respect.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The radiant sun was turning red and setting in the far horizon, as the entirety of Fire Breath assembled before the grand palace where the funerary ceremonies of Fugaku Uchiha were being carried.

Naruto was amazed at the incredible solemnity of the whole process and with Kitara's help was lent some proper clothes for the ceremonies. Before the statue of the mighty father of the Uchiha, Madara, the body of Fugaku Uchiha was displayed on top of a mighty pyre that was scheduled to be lit by the time the sun went down.

Before the gathered crowd, stood the ranks of the Uchiha warriors, lined by rank and all dressed in ceremonial armor suits, a high priest incanted the rites of passage for Fugaku's soul into the embrace of his mighty ancestors.

As the priest ended his chores Sasuke, who was dressed in simple black clothes climbed the stairs to stand in front of the pyre and before all the audience he spoke in a solemn tone

"Uchiha! We stand united today to pay honors to the man who brought us peace ten years ago and ever since then rebuilt our clan's strength. Fugaku Uchiha, my father, commanded us wisely and always putting the best interests of our people before anything else. Ten years of peace like no other Uchiha has seen since Madara walked among us. My father passed away before his time at the hands of a traitor, wrongly blessed by our name, blood and eyes, he is now a stain in our history and an abomination to my family. A selfish demented man who will be hunt and brought before justice. The elders have agreed and now I take the mantle of my father and rise as your leader, Sasuke Uchiha!"

At this the high priest unfolded a long white robe that flowed marvelously at the wind and quickly placed it on top of Sasuke's shoulders closing it on the front. After this two honor guards knelt before Sasuke holding a large object enveloped in a golden blanket. Sasuke quickly took the object from its cover and revealed it to be a giant red war fan with the characteristic Sharingan tomoes on its four corners, turning around Sasuke shot a large fire ball towards the pyre, and before it hit he swung the war fan with all his might generating a powerful wind gust that expanded the fire ball to ten times its original size involving the pyre completely and lighting it from the ground to the top where Fugaku was now in the midst of his son's fire.

Kitara explained that the war fan was one of the legendary weapons Madara Uchiha forged during his mandate, the War fan was probably a heavily chakra enhanced weapon that allowed to multiply by ten the strength of any fire Jutsu.

The sun was finally gone and the entire city was dark except for the mighty burning pyre in front of the statute. Everyone, included Naruto, was marveled at the fire but was quickly distracted by Mikoto who was now next to her son, her new leader, and with a strong smooth voice addressed the people.

"Long live Sasuke, long live the Uchiha!"

To which every warrior and citizen replied in a thunderous cheer. A new leader was chosen and the former one was gloriously sent to his ancestors. The Uchiha entered a new era with a leader who has never tasted war before, only time will tell what kind of future awaits the powerful clan.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Two days have passed since the funeral took place and during that time Sasuke was inducted to his new responsibilities in which his mother was requested to help him as long as he didn't chose a wife, which was now mandatory in order to produce offspring and possible heirs.

Naruto had sent word of this events and those of his mission to his father, in order to get some sort of counseling but the best he got was a copy of his father's recently published book which after reading it in one night gave to Kakashi as a gift.

Seeing as well that the Uchiha would be in a momentary turmoil with the shift in leadership, he decided it was time to continue his journey through the lands.

Before departing he requested an audience before Sasuke to say his farewells and properly leave this land. The picture he saw almost made him laugh as Sasuke who was seated on the main chair was being bogged down by ministers and advisors he barely knew, he seemed terribly annoyed but smiled when he loudly excused himself and went directly to Naruto and pulled him into a secluded balcony.

"Damn, I never imagined the amount of duties and responsibilities a clan leader has!" complained Sasuke.

"I see, glad I am no leader of sorts! By the way Sasuke as you can see I am leaving, and I just came to say good bye to you and the family" said Naruto as he looked towards the city.

Sasuke was a bit surprised but understood that as a Sage he had to walk his own road. "I see…Naruto I am going to say this once so pay close attention. Thanks for everything, and thanks for becoming my friend, no matter what awaits us, you will always be my friend"

Naruto patted Sasuke's shoulder and quickly exclaimed "No problem! The moment I saw you I thought we could be friends though we started a bit rough!"

"Come my friend say bye to the others…" said Sasuke while leading him back to the main chambers where Mikoto, Kakashi and Kitara where waiting for him.

Mikoto gave a courteous hug to the young Sage, who had become some sort of celebrity in the city as a close friend to the leader, which many saw as a blessing for the Uchiha.

Kakashi gave Naruto a strong handshake and told him to keep training and learning, he was strong but was far away from being the strongest. He also whispered to send him any new material from his father.

Kitara just gave him a quick kiss to his cheek and slid a small note into his pocket.

With this Naruto abandoned the city and walked in a southwest direction remembering that the Hyuga clan was to the south and he would wait for news from Haku before visiting Water in the east.

Naruto had read the note and headed for an old watch post used for inspections during war time. As he got in he could easily discern Kitara's shape in the shadows.

"Kitara? What's this all about? You wanted to meet me here once I left the city and tell no one?"

Kitara walked from the shadows and gave Naruto a long kiss, after a moment she stepped back and began. "Sorry Naruto, the reason I wanted to see you in private was to tell you something important about uncle´s murder" Naruto seemed surprised but before he could speak Kitara continued "I already knew that Itachi had killed uncle the moment aunt Mikoto told Sasuke. Uncle Fugaku was planning a surprise three pointed assault on the Senju, the Hyuga and the Central plains"

Naruto's eyes shot wide open his eyes "But he negotiated peace ten years ago and helped Wave when requested and your nation has grown strong ever since!"

Kitara walked to seat in front of Naruto and replied "My uncle though a weak warrior remained a very pure blooded Uchiha, plotting conquests, big and small, are part of our nature. He negotiated peace since we were about to be invaded by the Fire clans after the failed surprise assault from my father against the Professor. He bid his time wisely and reconstructed our forces diligently, absorbed people and warriors from neighboring lands, increased the size of our economy and industry and like with Wave established influence beyond our borders. He planned a massive counterattack for ten years, slowly and carefully so no other power suspected our actions as nothing but reconstruction efforts. He accelerated his plans because the other Fire clans have become increasingly weak over the past decade. The Senju are no longer the formidable warriors they used to be in times past. The Hyuga are currently divided and there is rumor of civil war brewing among their society and the Sarutobi are about to lose their mighty leader so they are unstable since no clear successor has been named"

Naruto could barely believe those words, but as they were explained they made much sense. The Uchiha looked so ever ready to fight and the teachings of their great father was law for them not a mere cultural thing, power is all they need to survive.

At this Naruto looked at Kitara warily as if questioning everything that happened between them has been plotted before. At his gaze Kitara knew what he was thinking but to be honest she couldn't blame him, after all she was assigned to watch him to make certain he wouldn't disrupt the war preparations. Recovering her nerve she proceeded.

"I believe Itachi killed uncle Fugaku because; ever since the last war ended he fought with all his might to prevent another from happening. There was a time when Itachi greatly admired his father as the man who brought peace to us and spared little Sasuke from joining the front lines, that was why Itachi served him loyally for this past decade, silencing his enemies and casting a threatening shadow at anyone who opposed his father's actions. Itachi probably became suspicious of his father and discovered his plot. Out of love for Sasuke and his people, he killed his own war mongering father and declared himself a traitor so the Uchiha would focus on hunting him down instead of marching to war against the rest of Fire. He is willing to suffer his entire people's hatred for their survival and continued peace; he fights for peace above all things…"

Naruto was amazed at the story, truthfully Itachi wasn't the monster he thought he was but now there was a troubling issue "How do you know all this Kitara?"

Kitara sadly laughed and sighing answered "Because I was part of the plot myself, I am not perfect Naruto, far from being perfect. I resented the Sarutobi, I wanted revenge at all costs for taking my father away, I wanted to make my father proud by taking the life of his enemies and bring about a glorious Uchiha empire" said Kitara but now with closed eyes she continued "But that drive died a long time ago, it was very tiring, nonetheless uncle Fugaku coarse me into it and so I couldn't deny my lord's commands. The rest is history, the plot is dead and now that Sasuke commands the clan I can believe he will not fall in the same path. I give my word that I won't let him"

Naruto reached for Kitara and embraced her "You are a good person, even if you carry much guilt yet you try to atone. I am certain Sasuke will be fine if I leave him with you, he will be a great leader someday. Just make certain he doesn't get consumed by his hatred. Even as I spoke I could feel the foul aura of anger and hatred in him"

Kitara returned the embrace and said one last thing for Naruto "Itachi once told me he suspected someone was influencing uncle Fugaku. He never found clues but suspected it was an Uchiha or someone with great knowledge about us. This person wanted war and somehow convinced father to change from a statist into a would be conqueror"

Surprised, Naruto quickly replied "Could he be lying?"

Kitara answered back "He is the greatest ninja I have ever met, I learned to trust his skills and intuition a long time ago, If he suspected someone changed his father in some manner I would believe him. So be careful out there, indirectly you are now involved in this whole mess since you are a close friend to the new leader and a positive influence for the world, as other Sages before you. This man must be very dangerous if Itachi never determined his identity"

Naruto realized that as a Sage he was bound to make enemies, since Sages were agents of change and a positive influence for the world. He would have to be more careful when involved with the clans of the Ninja Age.

"Thanks for the heads up Kitara chan. And don't worry if such person exists and try to do something against your people, I will help you all. War in itself is a tragedy and I will stop them someday!" Said a confident Naruto

Kitara laughed as she left his embrace and just smiled at him "So good luck then mister Sage, be safe in your travels, I will look after Sasuke and Kakashi for you"

Naruto was about to leave but a naughty thought crossed his mind, and so in a swift move held Kitara in his arms and without a warning kissed her fully. Kitara was certainly surprised but enjoyed it. As they parted Kitara was blushing over the passionate kiss and grinning Naruto said "I made you blush this time!"

Kitara became mad and chased Naruto out from the post, but stopped once Naruto was running and laughing towards his next destination.

**AN: And Done!**

**Much faster than my last update so people is happy, right?**

**So finally the Uchiha arc comes to an end. A shadow lurks brewing conflict in Fire and Haku is off to fulfill a better destiny (at least better than in canon!)**

**Next chapter is the beginning of the Hyuga arc, but trouble is looming over them! What is it about? Keep reading.**

**To all my loyal readers, I will focus slightly on the next chapter of my side project so it will be a little time before new updates.**

**Thoughts, questions, advice or suggestions? I'll be happy to answer back but you have to review.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	19. What my eyes can see

**Chapter 18: What my eyes can see.**

Naruto had been walking south west for the past week without encountering much people on the road, all throughout the Uchiha lands news of Sasuke's rise to power were made known by mounted riders so everywhere he went found people celebrating or fearful of the future with an inexperienced young leader. Naruto didn't worry much about Sasuke since he loved greatly his people and would never do something to endanger them, though he was still worried about that foul aura he sensed from him.

Once Naruto crossed borders, he was surprised by how easy he got into Hyuuga territory. He had found an abandoned watch post but by the looks of it has been deserted for months. Windows were broken, the walls had several holes and signs of decay, and the banner was torn and dirty and barely hanging from its pole.

Naruto remembered that the Hyuuga were going through difficult times and that the threat of civil war loomed over them from some time ago. Naruto started to see how real was the possibility, if the country's border was unattended it probably meant that the situation was graver tan he had imagined. He wondered if in his current state he should become involved with them or just pass by and let things happen as they are meant to. Wars among nations were a rather simple thing to understand but a civil war were neighbor fights neighbor and long life friends turn on each other was a far more grim prospect and one Naruto didn't knew how to deal with. Even if he got himself involved, what side would he end up choosing? Both sides would have valid reasons for a conflict.

Naruto decided to better disperse such thoughts, they were sad and very hard to meditate upon. So he just kept walking enjoying the warmer southern climate, whatever arises he would deal with in due time.

But as previously noted things never go as he wishes. Once he reached the first village within the country he could see the tension in every person's face. It was more a look of expectance and anguish over the troubles of the land. He also noted that people had wagons and horses at the ready in front of their shops and homes, almost waiting for the terrible news to arrive from the capital. Naruto tried to learn more about the conflict from the locals but none was very talkative and the only thing in common was that it was a conflict of the clan's politics.

Naruto also tried to learn more from the local bar and even from the local girls but the bar was closed and every young girl seemed as frightened as any other in town. At this gloomy atmosphere Naruto decided to skip sleeping in town and decided to just keep going for the rest of the day.

As he went, Naruto was very thankful for the Hyuuga's road construction, they were wide, well delimited roads and at every cross roads very clear signs were placed so for the first time in a while he didn't felt lost. Naruto also decided to head for the nearest large city within the country since the capital, as he was informed was a long ways to the southernmost reaches and it meant several days of walking and directly into the heart of the conflict.

The nearest one was the fortress city of Farsight, an ancient fortress used by the first Hyuuga warriors during the wars of establishment when the Hyuuga still fought for control of the southern lands in Fire.

Here the people, unlike the village he first visited, seemed more joyous or at least less worried about the situation amidst the clan. And they had good reason, the city though ancient, still projected excellent defensive capabilities and was well staffed with warriors carrying the Hyuuga symbol on their ornate armors.

Naruto wasn't as impressed as he was back at Fire Breath, but then again that city was a capital. This city sported several bars and places of game that seemed ridiculously crowded, everywhere around he saw drunken people, men and women enjoying the privacy of the shadows in the alleys, soldiers playing dices and bickering with each other in reckless abandon of their duties. He took back what he thought initially, people here just drowned their worries in delightful decadence as any city can provide in ample supply.

Naruto just decided to avoid any trouble and gliding through the mobs of people headed to a nice quiet corner of the city where he managed to find a small humble inn. Inside it was quiet but not somber, there was an old kind looking lady at the counter and a young girl carrying some hot tea to a couple of old men playing chess on a table lit by candles. The place was most relaxing and peaceful, not the noisy crowd back outside.

Naruto approached the counter and talked "The city seems full; I wonder if you have a spare room, I could pay extra if necessary"

The old woman smiled warmly at the young man and spoke softly "That won't be necessary young man. This Inn is far from the filth that has filled our once beautiful city so we only have the regulars and we are rarely full in any case. Are you a foreigner?"

Naruto also smiled given the pleasant atmosphere and replied "You could call me that, I have been just a couple of days walking through your country and I am a bit surprised, so far the countries of Fire have left me impressed but your nation seems like it has seen better days. Is something wrong?"

The Old lady beckoned the young girl to serve them some tea as she sat more comfortably and began her accounts of the nation.

"If you have been traveling through the great clans of Fire, then you must know that ten years ago all of them were at war with each other until the revered Professor agreed peace with the great clans to put an end to the fighting in Fire and give us all time to heal and perhaps forgive. The other clans accepted and ever since they have flourished, but our land was cursed from the day we signed that peace, for the very next day our lady Hitomi passed away in an ambush from mercenaries leaving Fire after their services were no longer needed. Soon after Steward Hizashi was murdered and ever since our country has seen one disgrace after the other as our leader, Lord Hiashi, has done little to calm the divisions among our people, some say that the loss of his brother and wife made him a cold man with little care for the real needs of the clan and has since left many responsibilities to the clan elders"

Naruto thankfully smiled at the little tea serving girl and while drinking it asked "And what are this divisions? Aren't you all one clan?"

The woman chuckled a little "Young man as you probably saw, societies are formed in different manners throughout Fire; The Senju include clans, the Uchiha smash and render into submission other clans. But here we have a great rift among our ranks. The Hyuuga clan itself is a great example of such, a long time ago the clan was small and very vulnerable so the family was divided in two in order to guarantee its survival, originally the strongest members went out to battles and perform missions while the rest of the clan watched out for their homes in more defendable positions and administered the clan's wealth and resources. Eventually as time passed the wealthier and more refined elements of the clan fearing the rejoining of the combatants into the main household once the clan had enough numbers and strength to become a true nation, devised ways and rules to keep the clan split in two, a main branch which also posses strong and very well trained warriors and the battle hardened cadet branch which had more martial ways than their cousins. One of the ways they devised to keep the numbers equal and avoid conflict with the others, was that families gave their first borne into the main branch while any second borne were placed in the cadet branch. The problem was that though the measure was meant to keep the family bonds strong, the ones inducted into the main branch were educated to see their own brothers and parents, if needed, as lesser ones and keep themselves as the leaders of the clan. This of course makes the cadet branch terribly resented with the main branch but years of conflict, losses and generous tokens kept these complaints silent for many years. But recently the elders still thinking with old ways have resorted to practices that increases the main branch rights and privileges as well of those clans that joined us fully generations ago, while the cadet branch and the clan less warriors of our clan saw their own rights squashed and greatly diminished"

Naruto nodded while he sipped his tea and quietly responded "Is this the problem then? If the clan no longer needs to be divided then why remain like that? Everyone should work together to rebuild properly and face future threats together, division only makes you weaker.

The old lady laughed bitterly and spoke "Young man, you would make a fine ruler but common sense has never been the norm in the ninja world!"

Naruto frowned a little and responded "So this conflict I hear about is about equality among the members of the clan?"

The old lady blew over her tea and calmly proceeded "It is not that simple, the cadet branch and the clan less warriors have always tolerated being stepped on, but ever since the last Steward's demise his only son took up on a very aggressive stance against the elders and the ways of our society. He claims that fate is drawing us ever closer to conflict as to ascertain who deserves to inherit the clan title, the land and the scores of people living in the southern reaches of Fire, that man is hell bent on starting a conflict in order to overthrow the elders, the leader and every Hyuuga in the main branch and establish the true warriors of the clan as its rightful masters. A lot of people support him, especially the poor who see a chance to get out of that life"

Naruto nodded "And the other side?"

The lady took another sip "The main branch is protected by highly trained yet inexperienced army of Hyuuga warriors, better equipped and holding the greatest fortifications, and by their side stand our greatest and most trusted allies, the Inuzuka and Aburame clans. They inhabited these lands long before the Hyuuga established here, The Inuzuka on the northern steppes of our land and the Aburame in the deep marshes of the south east reach. They stand mighty and secure in their fortifications but lack popular support and real leadership. Lord Hiashi is hesitant about the problem and his daughters are too young and inexperienced to handle such role. It seems like conflict is inevitable since young Neji and his supporters seek change desperately"

Naruto wondered aloud "Who is this cadet branch leader?"

The old lady seemed a bit sad "Neji Hyuuga, only son to our late Steward, nephew to our current leader and a man filled with hatred for his own family. He will not be content until he sees our society burned to ashes and reborn in his design. That man could have accomplished so much if only he resorted to words than to arms, but then again the elders led him down that path. These days most people as you probably noted, are expecting when the battle will begin, so they are enjoying life as they know it to its fullest"

"But if he was the only son of a Hyuuga shouldn't he had been inducted to the main branch?" asked Naruto a bit confused about the Hyuuga society rules.

"That rule only applies when there are more children in a family household, but if the household only had one child, the child remains in the family as its inheritor and replacement for the current family head.

"You also mentioned the daughters of the clan leader, shouldn't one of them be taken to the cadet branch?" asked Naruto again, this society was the most warped thing he had encountered.

"That was a special exception made as an act of mercy for our clan leader after his beloved wife passed away. But it is only temporary since eventually one of the girls will have to join the cadet branch, and the sad thing is that they will have to compete to see who is the most deserving of remaining in the main branch. This competition will shatter whatever bonds of sisterhood they have" said the old lady as she sadly sipped her tea.

Naruto seemed downcast as he finished his tea and tried to smile to the little girl offering him another cup.

The lady noticed this and felt bad for venting her own grief on the young traveler. "But young man, worry not there are news that members from both sides are meeting at the capital of Truesight to reach a peaceful solution to this mess. In the meantime try to enjoy whatever little commodities we still have, if you want there are thermal waters behind the city that are most recommended for travelers like yourself. Maybe you will see something nice over there!"

Naruto smiled at the old lady's attempt to cheer him up, and the thermal waters she mentioned sounded good, nonetheless it seemed as if in every step of his journey he found even worse tragedies happening all the time. This time he actually found himself at a loss of what he could possibly achieve here if he decided to intervene. Perhaps he just should have more faith in people and let them sort out their own problems.

Naruto paid in advance for his room and seeing it wasn't too late decided to pay a visit to the mentioned thermal waters, it would be a nice respite and perhaps give him some clarity.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto exited the crowded city and went towards the small spot the old lady had mentioned in search of the thermal waters. After a while and believing he had got lost, he finally reached a small patch of woods surrounding the small steaming ponds, it was a rare sight since the ponds seemed to have different temperatures.

Naruto took a while to select the right one but wondered why there was no one else around here since it seemed like a perfect place for certain decaying activities but turned his doubts aside, he was feeling too tired all of a sudden and the bath now seemed to be calling to him.

Naruto quickly took off his clothes and by the first time in a long time unmade his short pony tail letting his hair flow wildly as he jumped into the warm waters. "Ahh, this is what I needed! Now if only one of the girls was here…not again! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts! Stupid Father and his stupid perverted books…though I miss home, this travel has been great but so many bad things happen in this world, I miss mount Myoboku, the guys, the peace…" Naruto had fell in a slumber as his last words slurred from him, the young sage has been adventuring for almost 6 months now nonstop and it finally took its toll on him. Fortunately for him the pond wasn't deep so besides boiling for a while he wasn't in danger.

Splash….splash….drip….drip…. "Mm? I want to sleep some more Ma chan…. Huh? Oh!, I fell asleep…What? Father says it's bad to stay in warm water for too long!" Naruto nearly screamed as he jumped out of the water examining his body to which his surprise didn't presented any wrong besides a bit of red coloring.

"Close call!" drip….drip….splash "Huh? What's that?" said Naruto as he stealthily moved towards that faint noise near the cooler ponds completely ignoring he was still in his birthday suit. As he walked around the noises became a bit louder and so he scurried between some bushes.

As he went by the bushes making as little noise as possible he got a glimpse of the largest pond around. He moved slowly not wanting to scare or alert whatever strange creature was making those noises. As he finally got a clear sight without compromising his position, he saw one of the most amazing things a man could ever hope to witness (in his mind…). Before him a large pond of water stood in the center of a clear area where no trees blocked the sky which projected a bright silver full moon making the pond's soft surface become a mirror to the impressive night sky.

Naruto's eyes adjusted to the brightness and he managed to discern a figure moving graciously on the pond's surface as it continued to make dance like movements which in turn made those noises he heard before.

Naruto moved quietly towards the pond to have a better view of the creature, and to his surprise it was a naked woman who danced in complete abandon as if in a trance. Said woman was a creature blessed with an astounding beauty, her skin pale and white like the moon above showed no imperfection, her black glossy hair flowed naturally after every move, it seemed like a beautiful veil of night in which the light reflected here and there made it look like it had stars in it.

Naruto became enthralled with the beautiful creature as her moves kept drawing him to her. As he went ever closer he accidentally stepped on a toad which made a loud noise and made Naruto trip and fall. At this the female stopped dancing and turned around in Naruto's direction as she opened her eyes coming out from her own trance like state.

Naruto's eyes became glued to those lavender almost pearl like eyes; they were extraordinary and impossible to read. The light of the moon reflected on the pond made them even brighter and almost like if she had two stars on her face. In Naruto's (strange) mind this creature had to be an ancient forest goddess that came to play with the nightingales, her perfection was just not normal.

Naruto moved his mouth breaking the silence and the stillness both had fallen into "Are you a goddess? If you are I am truly sorry I barged on you like this I didn't mean any disrespect or scare you" spoke softly Naruto still appreciating the creature before him.

The so called goddess blinked several times making the light in her eyes flutter. After this an unhealthy red color took over the goddesses' white skin as her eyes became watery and her lower lip trembled as if not knowing what to do.

"NOOOO, PERVERT!" shrieked the creature as she launch herself at Naruto with her hands in glowing blue orbs.

Naruto had trouble absorbing the sudden words as he reacted late to try and stop her frenzied attack. As he tried to quickly get up, the girl, who had her crying eyes closed, crashed head first into his making them stumble unconscious to the ground with the naked girl on top of him, also naked.

A few moments after, two women and several dogs appeared on sight and ready to fight but to their surprise they found their princess naked and unconscious with a bump growing on her forehead on top of an unknown naked man, also with a bump on his head.

Both women blinked while seeing each other and proceeded to pick up the teens.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Mmm…Mmm…Huh? What happened?" mumbled Naruto as he slowly recovered his consciousness. The first thing he noticed was that he was bound from hands and feet and that a really large wolf like dog was growling at him.

At this sight Naruto tried to bolt back only to hit himself against the wall from the place he was at the moment. The place seemed to be made from the same material the city walls so he deducted he was somewhere inside the main keep from the fortified city.

"Ahh, good boy?" asked Naruto to the dog in front of him only for this to growl harder and bark back "Who the hell are you calling a good boy?"

Naruto's eyes almost bulged out from the surprise of having a dog talking back to him but then again he knows speaking toads. "Where am I? What happened?" Asked Naruto a bit more calmly, as he tried to free himself.

The dog growled and just ignored him, at the same time two women entered the room. This made Naruto aware of something else; he was only dressed in his boxers while the rest of his clothing lay sprawled on a table nearby. Naruto squirmed his way towards the table but one of the women took him by the ankle and dragged him back to his original spot and kicked him in the gut.

"Ouch! What's your problem? And why am I here?" The older looking woman looked at the young man with feral experienced eyes as she snarled and replied "How about sneaking into royal grounds, peeking on our princess and all of this in your birthday suit?"

Naruto had a blank expression as he tried to register the information. He finally re attained the ability to speak and weakly said "What?"

The woman growled and seemed like she was about to hit him again but the younger one stopped her. "Mother, I don't think he actually knows what he did or where he was. You can tell by his scent he isn't lying" The older woman stood back while the younger one approached him and bend over to look at his face straight "So, young man, what were you doing out there?"

Naruto allowed his eyes to wonder into the girl's generous cleavage but her finger beckoned him to look up "I was told that behind the city there were some thermal waters, so I left the inn I stayed and went out looking for the thermal waters. It took me quite a while but finally got to a place with several ponds. I took my bath, fell asleep and then I heard some noises, the next thing I did was to look out for whatever did them. Then I saw a goddess dancing on the water under the moon, said goddess screamed something launched herself at me, and then I woke up here. I did something wrong right?"

Both women blinked and after sniffing out the air started to laugh. The older one roared in laughter while the younger one got a hand to her mouth to stiffen the laughter.

Naruto once again squirmed towards his belongings as the two strange females continued to laugh at his expense, but once again the older looking one held him by the ankle and dragged him back to his original spot. This time both women loomed over him and controlling themselves continued with their interrogation.

"All right boy! As hard as it is to believe you, you are telling the truth or at least you believe it. But from your clothes, weapons and well toned body I can tell you are a ninja. From the scent in your clothes it seems like you just arrived from the Uchiha lands and by the burnt scent, from the very capital. Care to tell us your story traveler?" said the older woman with those feral eyes.

Naruto felt very conscious of his current state and tried to hide himself as best as he could and somewhat embarrassed answered "Well I am a traveler and…" at this point Naruto also remembered the situation with the Hyuuga and his determination to stay by the sidelines on this one so telling them he was a Sage wouldn't be a bright idea "I am visiting the many lands of Fire since I was told there are many pretty girls in it and there is currently no war at the time! As for weapons, I did received some training as a child" said Naruto trying his best to look honest.

As he finished he saw how both women tensed a little and frowned deeply, at this the youngest woman kicked him hard on the gut and spoke "Don't lie! We Inuzukas can tell if you are lying just by your scent so be truthful or you will get in a lot of trouble!"

Naruto now understood exactly how they had figured his previous whereabouts; apparently they could smell his deception since he did tense up a bit when lying. Knowing he couldn't really dodge this one, lifted a prayer to whomever god may spare him more trouble in Fire than he had already been through and proceeded to tell them "Well, I am Naruto the new Sage from Myoboku and I am on a journey of discovery and learning. As you point, I just arrived from Uchiha lands and I am currently passing by through your lands heading west and beyond. I mean no harm or trouble for your lands so would you be so kind as to release and let me apologize to your princess for the incident at the ponds? I would really like to leave these lands soon"

The two women took large intakes of air trying to discern any lie in his tale but to their surprise everything smelled just right and though his young age was deceptive his scent also gave away the tale of his journey and the blood of his battles. Having their doubts cleared they proceeded to untie him and allow him to get dressed.

"We are very sorry for the rude treatment my Lord but this are bad times for our lands. If there is anything we can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask" said both women as they bowed slightly.

Naruto for once was being treated as his title deserved but at the same time it felt very odd since every other person so far have treated him like a lunatic or just a weird stranger spouting nonsense.

"Please don't do that, I am still very young and inexperienced so I am barely deserving the title. And I am very sorry to hear your land is in such troubled times" said Naruto while nervously scratching the back of his head.

Both women smiled at him and asked him stay put for a moment as they notified the rest of the keep about their honored guest.

Naruto tried to stop them since he just wanted to avoid such conflicts in these lands and get through without involving himself in such delicate matter, but before he could say anything they had closed the door and to his horror, locked it. Naruto suspected they knew beforehand his intentions to bolt out from the conflict and so they wanted him to fulfill his role as a Sage and help bring a resolution to the land's turmoil. Naruto was no longer feeling so great about being a Sage…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

A fair maiden clothed in white robes was checking the funny cross shaped bandage on the middle of her forehead in the mirror as she tried to see if she could hide it with some strands of hair, but the bump had been quite large and so needed a large bandage to help heal it.

She sighed going over how things have played back at the ponds; she had been dancing on top of one of the ponds under the moon's light when she heard the sound of something falling, the next thing she remembered was opening her eyes directly to two intense blue orbs staring right back at her and she felt herself lost of any ability to move or speak. After that the creature with such eyes talked apologizing for intruding rudely in her surroundings which in turn made her remember her position, her naked body and that said creature was a man, a good looking one but a man nonetheless, so she reacted like a scared little child and attacked the man without assessing her situation correctly. The man reacted too quickly for her and knocked her out in an instant, she felt fortunate that Tsume and Hana were close and managed to subdue the intruder.

As she pondered on her hundred mistakes as a ninja since her academy training finished Hana Inuzuka knocked on the door "My lady, I have news of the stranger. May I come in?" Hinata turned around to her mirror unsuccessfully trying to conceal the large cross shaped bandage. Sighing she responded "Yes Hana, please enter"

Hana walked in and had to muffle her laughter at the rather funny picture in front of her, a flustered princess in all her regal elegance and a large cartoonish cross shaped bandage right in the middle of her forehead. She had to quiet down quickly as she saw small tears forming on Hinata's eyes and the unhealthy red color of her embarrassment.

"My lady, the stranger has been successfully identified as the rumored Sage Naruto. Seems like your prayers were answered my lady" said a smiling Hana.

Hinata's face became radiant with joy; ever since the news from Wave spread to the neighboring lands the name of Naruto as the new Sage travelling through Fire had become rather famous. The last time a Sage had been seen in the elemental lands was ten years ago and it was at the end of the terrible war that consumed Fire. The return of a Sage was seen by most as a sign of change and hope for many, and also as a threat since his rumored exploits became the tale of many travelers, and such tales tend to be exaggerated.

Hinata Hyuuga first heard of him when new goods came to the city markets from a relatively unknown land a few weeks ago, the merchants said they came from the Land of Waves and that the newly brought goods were blessed by the new Sage. Hinata had gotten curious about the mention of the fabled character and so had the merchants tell her the full accounts of the incident at Wave. Ever since she heard the amazing events, she had been praying for the Sage to visit her lands and help them in this time of need when hatred ran deep among her people.

"Are you certain Hana? Is he truly the Sage?" asked an almost pleading Hinata to the Inuzuka.

"Words can deceive ears but not an Inuzuka's nose. He at least believes he is the Sage so we should test him out and see if he truly is what he claims" said Hana while trying to avoid those pleading eyes.

"You are right Hana! We must confirm he truly is the Sage before we entrust him the future of the Hyuuga! Bring him to me and we will see what test may be appropriate!" said a determined Hinata.

Hana bowed and exited quickly since she could barely contain her laughter anymore, seeing her mood swings was fun all the time but with that thing on her forehead just made it unbearable.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto was pacing around in the room (cell) were the two women had locked him up. At this time Naruto considered several manners on how to avoid any further problems in the Hyuuga lands and perhaps dodge having to get involved in the Hyuuga conflict. He had already considered escaping, all he had to do was to blow the door, henge himself like one of the guards and make his way for freedom. But he had two problems with that plan, one he still needed to apologize to the princess and he wouldn't be able to go far with those trackers after him.

As Naruto kept pondering his options the door clacked open and Hana Inuzuka stepped in "Lady Hinata Hyuuga whishes to have a word with you my lord" said Hana as she stepped aside to let the Sage out of the room and escort him to her liege.

As Naruto followed Hana he noticed how different the people inside the keep behaved compared to the ones outside. Here the guards all seemed to have similar features and highly ornate armors, still their faces reflected anxiety as if they expected battle to start at any second. He also noticed people walking around in a more relaxed manner, they shared similar features to her current escort, tattooed faces, sharp slightly larger fangs and feral eyes, and of course those large wolf like dogs. He wondered if all of those talked too.

Hana led him through several areas of the keep where his suspicions were confirmed, the battlements were ready and weapons were at hand. Conflict was at the doorstep and with every stride he took he was getting more and more involved in it.

Finally, Hana led Naruto into a more regally decorated area of the keep, clean floors, pristine windows, bright banners and attendants everywhere doing their chores, with no less worry in their faces. Naruto guessed that his host was located somewhere around here.

Hana finally asked Naruto to wait as she got her liege ready for a proper meeting. Naruto checked his clothes remembering that he had confused a girl with a goddess so she is probably a stunning woman. Though he had already confused Ino with a Nymph and found every girl he has slept with incredibly beautiful. Once again Naruto found himself having bad thoughts.

Naruto was broken from his reverie as Hana made a coughing sound to get his attention. Naruto turned around to see Hana standing behind a female who was dressed in a white kimono with sight silver orchid patterns; she was by most standards a humble but graceful figure. The only strange thing with her was that the face was covered by a veil, Naruto vaguely remembered the girl's face from their previous encounter and from that he had deducted she was beautiful, in his opinion there was nothing wrong with her face so keeping it concealed was perhaps one of the many strange society rules of her clan.

Naruto just stared hard at her trying to see the face behind the veil, but it also was noted how the other female seemed embarrassed at her liege's behavior.

"G-G-Greetings lord sage, I bid you welcome to the southern lands of Fire and home to the noble Hyuuga clan. My name is Hinata Hyuuga eldest daughter of Hiashi Hyuuga current clan leader"

Naruto still wanted to get a glimpse under the veil so he devised a small plan, as he bowed he charged his lungs with some wind chakra and exhaled creating a slight gust of wind that managed to remove the veil from Hinata's face. Hinata quickly tried to put on the veil again but the wind carried it over to Hana who refused to give it back muttering something like childish and embarrassing.

Naruto chuckled at how Hinata was trying to pry back the veil from Hana's hand a she kept her away with the other.

Hearing the slight chuckle Hinata turned red with embarrassment and sighing she turned around to meet the smiling face of the Sage. She had teary eyes but Naruto's eyes didn't show he was laughing at her expense but at how cute she was.

Seeing her embarrassment, he bowed deeply and said "It's an honor to be welcomed by her highness to the lands of the honored Hyuuga. And it's an honor to make your acquaintance"

Noticing the large bandage on her forehead he remembered a bit of the event that eventually landed him here. He was swift to apologize and use some of Jiraiya's knowledge to please women through words "I am so sorry my Lady, my impudence have left your fair face marred and stripped of its radiant beauty. I am ashamed, please forgive me"

Hana shrugged at the lame gallant attempt of an apology but Hinata was glowing red as Naruto dropped to his knee to accentuate his apology.

In Naruto's mind he was just thinking of a way to get himself out from this pinch, perhaps swaying this princess off her feet might give him the clearance to bolt out from such predicament.

Hinata on her side felt herself like in a fairy tale from those cheap romantic novels the maidens (and her) like to read. If asked to hand over the clan lands at that moment she would have accepted.

Hana saw the tiny smirk in the Sage's face and how dreamy Hinata looked. That was never a good sign, so she decided to step in before her princess blew it.

Hana stepped forward and loudly declared "Oh! my princess he is right, your beauty was marred, let me fix it" and with a swift move, the cross shaped bandage was forcefully and quickly removed from the princess forehead.

Hinata barely registered Hana's words when the sudden pain from having the bandage removed in such manner made all her nerves scream with pain. Hinata screamed and immediately brought her hands back to her forehead as she jumped a bit trying to calm down the pain.

Naruto on his side had a dumbfounded face as he saw how his efforts to get the princess on his side were continuously sabotaged. He also noticed the grin on Hana's face as she helped Hinata to calm down.

A few minutes later Hinata had managed to recover her composure and sporting a bright red forehead addressed Naruto with her well learnt manners.

"Lord Sage, as daughter of the Hyuuga's, I humbly request you to hear my plea. As you probably have heard and seen through your travels in our lands, my clan is suffering a deep discontent that could end up in full blown civil war. I ask you to lend us your wisdom and strength to bring about a resolution to this conflict" said Hinata while seating across Naruto as a young servant served hot tea on some pristine cups. Naruto didn't miss the look of contempt on the servant as she served tea to Hinata.

Naruto sighed knowing that as a Sage and his always kind nature, he wouldn't refuse such a request. Resigned to his fate he answered "Lady Hinata, I have heard of the current situation in your lands and seen its effects first hand. People in road villages are ready to flee upon notice of conflict, your borders stand unprotected, your people give themselves to drunken distractions and your very soldiers look as if war was already upon them. Truly your land is going through harsh times"

At this Hinata seemed sad and ashamed as well as Hana who stood silent by her liege's side. Hinata managed to recover some face and continued. "All of these woes are being caused by my rebellious cousin and his ideas of reform. And though I do think some changes are required as times move on, his methods are just wrong, we have tradition and rules that must be upheld at all times less our clan becomes weak in the face of the other powers in Fire. What he is doing must be stopped and so I request your aide so all this turmoil is finished"

Naruto stopped drinking his tea, suddenly it didn't tasted sweet anymore. Irking a brow and leaning on the chair he sent a colder look at the princess in front of him. "Tell me princess, how exactly did this conflict first came to be? Such ideas and the current state of your nation couldn't just be a young charismatic man leading a mob in an idealistic revolution, judging by all I have seen so far I can tell this conflict has been boiling for some time. Mind explaining me?"

Hinata was a bit at a loss, she had expected the Sage to side with her immediately, after all her family had always followed the same rules for centuries and had remained strong. And now that Neji was threatening with revolution her entire clan had started to crumble.

Not knowing exactly what to say, Hinata opted to explain things as she saw them "Lord Sage, Our family established its rules long ago, before these lands became fully ours, even before we became allies with the Inuzuka and the Aburame clans. These rules were meant to let our family survive the harsh realities of the ninja age. The rules did not only allow our family to survive those first years but they have brought great wealth and power to our clan. We have grown strong ever since, once we were as strong as the Uchiha! Now 10 years after the end of the war, Neji had seeded among our people discontent and hatred for the order of things in our society. What happened to Neji's father was regrettable but that gives him no excuse to jeopardize our entire clan. That is why I ask from you Lord Sage to put an end to these rebellion before it explodes, please help us reclaim our former strength. It is for the good of our people"

Naruto was a bit taken aback by her response; he was expecting this princess to be blatantly snobbish and ask to wipe out the rebellion in order to assert the main branch authority over the people in the clan. Her sights of the problem were very different from what the old lady at the inn told him, which meant Hinata truly believed that the current rules were for the clan's benefit and changing them in such a violent manner was out of question.

Sadly from what he managed to see and experience so far, people already seemed to have expected this rebellion to happen and they had been fearing it for some time now. The revolution was on its way and expecting to be ended peacefully was naïve.

Naruto leant forward thinking about how to better judge the issue, and as the situation allowed him, he would begin with the main branch itself.

"Princess, what do you think of the people in the Cadet Branch? From what I have heard, though they carry the Hyuuga name as well, yet they are treated very differently from the rest of the clan and its allies. You think they would have any reason to follow Neji into such desperate quest?"

Hana got nervous at the calm words from the Sage; it was obvious he was better informed about the brewing conflict in these lands and was now measuring the stance of the main branch. Hinata was by no means a real representative of the main branch's real authority and her following words could determine if the Sage would aide them or even face the possibility of him joining Neji. Sages after all were stalwarts of justice as much as change over the generations. The last Sage helped the great clans of Fire to bring an end to the fighting, and tales from Wave indicated this Sage was no different in his convictions.

Hinata remained silent for a long moment, never breaking eye contact with the Sage who kept his cool eyes on her. She deducted the Sage expected to see something from her but she had no idea of what could it be.

Hinata decided to be as honest as she could and give her own opinion about how things were in her clan "Lord Sage, I see the cadet branch as family; though many families within both branches are divided over the fate of the second borne, both branches take the sons and daughters of different households. We are a big family and in like any other, we all have a place in it as well as a role. The main branch was elected to lead while the cadet was elected to fight, I have never ridiculed any member of the cadet branch, quite the contrary I thank their sacrifices and pray for their happiness. We the main branch, have for generations dealt with relations and the estate, thus making our home stronger and our defenses impregnable. We cooperate in order to make the Hyuuga stronger"

As Hinata finished, Naruto smiled lightly and replied "Seems like you have the heart in the right place. But do you believe what you say? Have you seen with your very eyes what's going on around? It may be Neji's personal ambition to start this revolution and get something from it but the reason why his followers may start a war, are quite real. The way your very people behave should be a clear indication of what your eyes can't see. They have been expecting this situation to happen for quite some time. Regular folk out there have told me of the injustices committed against members of the cadet branch and their allies, the clan less warriors. What can you say about those rumors Princess?"

At that moment Hana knew what the Sage was talking about, though her clan was an honored ally, the Inuzuka or the Aburame didn't had much voice over what happens to the other warriors in the family, they had pledged allegiance and obedience to the Hyuuga a long time ago. Whatever happened to the cadet branch and the clan less warriors was left to the musings of the main branch and lately the rules have become more and more abusive. Reports have reached her ears that main branch officials had been attacked though not killed and that some villages were already considered lawless places where the Hyuuga main branch authority was no more. The country was slipping into anarchy and the main branch was blind to the reality.

Hinata swallowed hard at the Sage's words and found herself with no real response. Every time she had tried to influence the decisions made by her father and the elder's council, she was blocked by some bureaucratic procedures or letters of dismissal sealed by her own father. She refused to believe the situation was so bad so she had insisted through the average channels but denial lead her nowhere and had to accept that something was rotten in her clan.

"Lord Sage, I insist that this whole problem has been taken out of proportion but if you insist we will check those rumors by ourselves" said Hinata as she stood up.

Hana had panicked look as Hinata was already moving back to her chambers leaving a confused Sage seating with a cup of tea in his hand. Hana quickly fell in step with the princess as she ordered a guard to keep an eye on the Sage. "Princess! What madness is this? Check the rumors? What exactly are you thinking?"

Hinata kept walking as she answered "The Sage doesn't believe me and seems more inclined to favor Neji's view of things. If we want to have the Sage's support we must show him that our desire for peace and order are real ere he leaves us to our fate. Besides I want to check those rumors myself, it would be a disgrace that a princess knows less of her country than a foreigner with a few days in it"

Hana understood her liege's point but still she had no idea of what she intended to do "And how exactly are you going to check these rumors, it's not like we just go by asking the cadet branch members and expect them to be cordial!"

Hinata nodded and answered "That's why me and the Sage will go visit the North Shield Fortress, there is an inspection of troops being carried by members of the main branch upon the cadet branch warriors and the clan less warriors stationed there. If there is any sign of these abuses being committed against them then I have to see it with my own eyes. I know I haven't been a good princess to my clan but I have to try to mend things if such rifts do exist in the proportion the Sage declares!"

Hana followed Hinata into her room as she had started to undress and began rummaging into her wardrobe for a more casual fit "Princess even if your desire is true, the moment the main branch inspectors lay eyes upon you they will behave with exemplary discipline. No abuses or whatsoever will happen before you!"

Hinata smiled as she selected some plain grey travelling clothes "That's why I and the Sage will go in disguise! That way we will see the truth!"

Hana had no argument there but one last thing came to mind "My Lady, we forgot to verify the Sage's identity!"

Hinata had finished changing and while making a long pony tail she smiled "Mmm, but you said he was telling the truth"

Hana responded while helping Hinata to fix the clothes she discarded "I said he believes what he says; scents can tell so much about a person so if said person is very convincing even his scent will mirror it"

Hinata checked herself in the mirror and turned around to face Hana "Well, let's ask him once more then and ask for proof"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto had finished his cup of tea while he still wondered what the hell happened with his hosts. At the same time he amused himself while casting glances to the female guard they left keeping an eye on him. He was having some fun since the guard was obviously a rookie and every time he made a move the guard flinched and readied herself to respond only to blush when the Sage smiled at her.

As he entertained himself with the guard, Hinata and Hana returned to catch him smiling to the young guard. Naruto turned his attention to them and he noticed the way the princess was dressed with humble looking clothes and a high pony tail that gave her a certain look he found most appealing. Hinata was the first to address him

"Excuse me my lord but, as mere formality, would you be so kind to demonstrate you are the Sage from Myoboku?" said Hinata while smiling sweetly.

Naruto was taken a bit by surprise but knowing the drill he performed a few hand seals and after a small smoke cloud, a bright midsized orange toad appeared in front of his hosts.

"Yo Naruto! Long time no see! Oh! So you are nailing these two now? Soon you will beat your father in his number of conquests; from your letters you did it to those Senju girls and then this Uchiha gal!" Gamakichi was boasting with full joy of seeing his brother while Naruto was cold sweating as he noticed the indignant look of Hana which was turning quickly into a look of utter contempt. To his credit it seemed Hinata didn't understand the slang used by the large talking toad.

Naruto quickly whispered to Gamakichi and the toad jumped a bit landing hard in front of Hana and Hinata "My ladies, I am Gamakichi son of Gamabunta chieftain of the toads on mount Myoboku. And I vouch for the little fella behind me to be the new Sage of Myoboku. I hope my brother fulfills your expectative" having said this, the toad disappeared in the same manner it was summoned.

Hinata beamed with joy of having her initial thoughts confirmed while Hana softened her killing eyes on the Sage. At least he said the truth.

Wanting to break the foul mood the Inuzuka brought to the room Naruto spoke "If I may princess, but why are you dressed like that?"

Hinata twirled around and said "It seems words cant' convince you lord Sage, and mere hearsay isn't enough proof of anything so If I want your help, then we should find out exactly what's going on"

Naruto had to admit his own foolishness over the trust he had place on the story of the old lady. As honest as she may have been, that kind of information regarding the clan´s current state, couldn't be trusted unless proven beyond doubt. He was also impressed that the princess herself was willing to help out. As far as it went not all the main branch members were the devils the old lady made them ought to be.

Hinata proceeded to explain Naruto her plan to find out the real situation and from there the Sage could decide if and with whom would he side in this conflict.

**AN: Done! That chapter took me quite a while to finish due to several circumstances.**

**One, I had a clear picture of what the situation in the Hyuuga would be but as my writing probably showed I had difficulties portraying Hinata's stance on the conflict.**

**Two, how to get Naruto actively involved in the whole thing.**

**Three, the end of the chapter was a bit rushed since it was becoming too long.**

**Clarifications. **

**Like with my previous characters, Hinata is unique and little related to the manga character so no complains, take it for what it is. An original story!**

**I putted some humor into this chapter for two reasons. The previous one being a bit too serious for my taste and because Hinata's character is such a boring character in manga so making her a clumsy but goodhearted princess seemed appropriate. Don't worry she will mature like Naruto has. By the end of the arc I am certain you will like her a lot. Remember, character has to grow in a good story.**

**Now as I am bunkered to face the NaruHina fans onslaught over this chapter. I am starting the next chapter of my side project. I am taking it one chapter at a time for each story as to keep my head working in different ideas and not lose interest over my projects.**

**As always I will be more than happy to answer all your doubts or comments regarding the story.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	20. Times changes

**Chapter 19: Times Change.**

Naruto and Hinata left for the North Shield Fortress the morning after their "unique" encounter and have been walking for several hours now. The Sun rose in the middle giving the usual warmth of the south to the two travelers.

Naruto had been sternly warned by Tsume and Hana Inuzuka about not getting funny ideas with their princess as they carried out their mission. By now Naruto was mentally kicking himself for agreeing to go enjoy the thermal waters, he would be on his way out of this country by now but no he just had to try them and in the blink of an eye he was on a mission to try and save the Hyuuga.

"I wonder if Father went through something similar?" spoke softly Naruto as he continued walking the road.

"What was that?" asked Hinata trying to keep up the pace under the heat.

Naruto noticed that Hinata was probably used to go from one city to the next on carriage and under a shade, probably with refreshments too. Naruto considered summoning a toad to carry them both, but he wanted a small satisfaction for himself since he was forced into this mess and though he would give his best a small payback wouldn't hurt.

"You ok princess?" said Naruto with a small smile as he kept his pace in front of the princess.

Panting Hinata replied "I am fine! It shouldn't be too long now"

Hinata was by now dragging her feet, she was in fit condition but the sun was quite merciless and her white skin indicated how little the sun touched her over the years. In Naruto's opinion she was probably close to suffer a heat stroke so sighing he deviated to a tree on the side of the road.

"What are you doing my lord?" asked a puzzled Hinata.

"We are taking a rest. According to Hana, we should be reaching the fortress by night and the inspection is tomorrow at noon. So we have plenty of time" said Naruto as he leant on the tree while removing his coat.

Hinata silently thanked her luck and joined the Sage under the tree sitting properly and avoiding touching the tree. Naruto quirked his eyes at such behavior, it clearly showed how little time this princess spent outside her family grounds.

"You know? Travelers don't sit like that outside. Just lean on the tree, take a breather and enjoy the breeze as you recover strength" said Naruto as he was already enjoying.

Embarrassed Hinata hurriedly scurried over to the tree and mimicking Naruto leant against the tree and tried to relax.

An uncomfortable silence dropped between the two as they rested under the lonely tree by the roadside. Naruto had met royalty before but so far none of them acted like he had come to expect of clan leaders. Hinata here was quite naïve and very sheltered, he could tell she had received martial training but wondered if she had ever taken a mission before. On another note he had sex with the aforementioned female royalty of the previous clans.

At his thoughts, Naruto risked a glance to Hinata who unlike in the city was now dressed in more revealing travelling clothes. Hinata was catching up her breath as the sweat from her neck went into her generous cleavage.

Naruto had to admit that Hinata was by far one of the prettiest girls he have met, she didn't had that sexy aura of Kitara, the huge breasts of Tsunade, the killer legs of Sakura or Ino's alluring personality. Hinata was like a well wrapped package full of quality goods, not exaggerating in any particular area but having a nice assortment of visible traits. Like a fruit basket!

Naruto laughed lightly at the comparison he just made in his head which in turn made Hinata look at him with those big pupil less eyes. "Is something funny my lord?" asked a curious Hinata.

Naruto had to admit that Hinata's main trait was her eyes which made him curious as to what kind of power they held.

"Listen princess, would you call me Naruto? The lord thing doesn't really go with me, it makes me feel a bit old" said Naruto as he inspected the sky and saw if the heat was receding.

Hinata took a rosy color to her cheeks; the only men she addressed by name were her best friends, Kiba and Shino. And now a handsome foreign hero was asking her to call him by name.

"You may call me Hinata then…Naruto" said a shy Hinata while averting her eyes.

Naruto was a bit distracted by Hinata's shy behavior; while every woman he has met was fearless and combative this one seemed strong but shy. Curiously she wasn't the day before. He wondered why the sudden change.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Night has fallen and Naruto and Hinata finally saw the light of the old fortress. Outside the city was a long line of people waiting to receive clearance to enter the place.

Naruto had to stop Hinata from jumping the line and ask to enter the city without the normal procedure. Naruto explained that in a recon mission, standing out was the first thing you wanted to avoid. Hinata acknowledged this and quickly got behind Naruto waiting patiently in line while casting suspicious looks left and right. Naruto wondered if he was that much of a rookie once.

As the line shortened Naruto told Hinata to exercise a story by which to fool the guards and receive clearance without many questions.

Naruto thought of several ideas but none was to convincing and telling the truth like before might get him into a serious bind.

Hinata thinking aloud of her own ideas mentioned one that Naruto found most believable.

"That's a great idea, simple and smart. You were holding on me Hinata!" said Naruto while he performed a quick henge erasing his whisker marks and turning his eyes green. His clothes changed colors and became an assortment of black, grey and a long brown coat.

Hinata didn't knew what she just said but followed suit and copied Naruto's actions applying a Henge on herself, turning her eyes into a honey like color with black well defined pupils and her hair into a deep brown color.

Naruto and Hinata now looked like the average traveler seeking shelter in the city for the night.

When the couple arrived at the door a main branch warrior in finely decorated armor held them for questioning "Name and purpose" said the man with some arrogance in his voice.

Hinata didn't knew what to answer the imposing figure but Naruto grabbed her by the shoulder and got her close to his body and quickly replied "My name is Ryuji Sano and this is my brand new wife Hinabi!" said a wide smiling Naruto while Hinata went ruby red.

The guard smiled wickedly at Naruto "Marrying young eh? Make sure you enjoy her thoroughly before knocking her up" now turning his gaze towards the beaming red girl and eyeing her up continued "Hey girl, if your hubby here lacks the skill to please you, you know where to find me. Alright both of you can pass, enjoy the sink hole"

Naruto dragged the still petrified Hinata and walked as normally as he could into the fortress and immediately sought a quiet corner where to speak and plan further with Hinata. Naruto made certain no one followed them into the alley they were and spoke to Hinata "Well, that went better than I expected, guess no one is going to cause trouble in a place packed with soldiers. Hinata do you know the fortress? Any inns or places where we could rest? Huh, Hinata?"

Hinata was still in shock over Naruto calling her his wife kept repeating the word "marriage" in a low tone. Naruto waved his hand in front of Hinata making her snap from her trance like estate.

"W-What? Did we get in?" said a startled Hinata.

"Yes we did, you spaced out back there. Is something wrong? Asked Naruto, while closing his face to Hinata's as if trying to figure out what was wrong with her.

Hinata panicked and trying to avert Naruto's gaze tried lowering her head giving Naruto a strong head butt on his nose. Naruto reeled back holding his face while Hinata rubbed her sore forehead.

"Hey! Calm down, I was just checking if you felt right! No need for violence!" said a somewhat angry Naruto as he tried to not draw much attention but the rundown look of the place indicated that probably no one cared.

Hinata bowed apologizing "I am so sorry, I don't know what came on me, please forgive me my lord, I always screws up, I am sorry…"

Naruto placed a hand on Hinata and sighing replied "It's ok, I screwed up a lot in my first mission. Just try to be more focused and leave the rest to me"

Naruto gave Hinata a reassuring smile that made her feel better almost immediately. Picking herself from the ground Hinata peeked her head from the alley and took a long look around.

"I did know some places around but the fortress's town is very different from the last time I visited. It seems much neglected" said Hinata a bit saddened as she recalled memories from better days even in this humble fortress.

Hinata looked around a bit more to track her location within the fortress and finally she turned to Naruto "If I recall right there used to be a nice looking inn at the older part of the fortress. We could lay low on that area since it was mostly inhabited by families"

Naruto smiled again and letting her lead the way he told her "Good job Hinata"

Hinata went a bit red and diligently lead Naruto through the old streets in the fortress towards the inn.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Hinata and Naruto stood in front of the inn, both had looks of surprise and bewilderment over how their expectations were crushed. The once lovely old inn of the North Shield Fortress was now a love hotel, a very cheap sleazy looking one.

Not having more options available and not being able to ask for shelter at the main base, they had no choice but to go into the hotel as the newlywed couple they pretended to be. The receptionist, a slutty looking woman, smiled seductively at the recently arrived couple and addressed them.

"Hi there handsome, want a room for the night? If you want more company I wouldn't mind you know?" said the receptionist while eyeing Naruto from head to toe.

Naruto, now more experienced in these matters, smiled handsomely at the receptionist and replied "Maybe another night, tonight I am all hers" while holding Hinata close to him.

The attractive receptionist gave a broader smile at the smooth comments of Naruto and replied "You are a lucky girl little one, but the same goes for you". At this Hinata almost passed out.

Naruto paid the room and took the keys while Hinata was still semi paralyzed over the recent exchange.

Once in the room both dropped their respective henge and sat on some heart shaped chairs that squeaked as they sat. Naruto wondered what the hell people did on those chairs.

"Well that went better than I thought. The newlywed thing is a great cover and this love hotel will serve as an excellent backup for the story itself, no one will suspect a young couple going into a place like this" exclaimed Naruto as she served a glass of water to Hinata.

Hinata took the glass of water and gulped it down in one go, she could barely believe her current situation. Not five years ago she had come to this very hotel with her teammates to accomplish a mission of delivering a letter to the Fortress's commander. Back then the fortress was a stronghold worth of the Hyuuga. Now it was a dumpster where all trace of decency was lost. The guards at the entry making such crude remarks, and the once friendly local populace was replaced by the filth that once hid in the shadows of the largest settlements and now paraded itself as if it was their rightful place.

Naruto noticed the pensive mood in which Hinata was and to break it decided to talk "Hinata, do you know the commander of this fortress? It would be useful to remember every detail about this place, just in case"

Hinata broke from her thoughts and collecting her memories answered "From what I remember, the base used to be very different. It was clean, the soldiers were diligent and polite, the civilians behaved properly and Commander Hatsu Hyuuga seemed like a stern but fair ruler. I don't understand how this is possible, all this decadence is not the way of the Hyuuga! We stand with tradition, discipline and loyalty to our people! This is just wrong!"

Naruto placed a comforting hand on Hinata's as to soothe her current ache. It's always difficult to acknowledge how naïve and blind one could be. He once thought that things could be fixed with more peaceful methods but Riku's avoidable demise was a constant reminder how naïve he couldn't allow himself to be again. This world was very unkind to such people.

"We better get to sleep, we shall see what to do once morning arrives" said Naruto leading Hinata towards the bed.

Naruto felt his hand being tugged, making him stop "What's wrong Hinata? It's kind of late"

Hinata was beaming red and managed to stutter "A-A-Are we going to sleep in the same bed?

Naruto not seeing the problem since this was a mission replied "Of course, just because we have some privacy we can't let down our guard. What if someone barges in and find me sleeping on the ground? Besides all we are going to do is sleep" finished saying as he kept trying to lead Hinata to the bed.

"B-B-But we can't do that! It's improper! And we don't even know each other that well!" said a panicked Hinata as she tried to avert her eyes from the bed and the forming images.

"H-H-Have you done this before?"

"Sure have, on a mission before, I had to sleep in the same bed as my teammates as not to rise any suspicions since my cover was that of a rich guy with two female slaves" said Naruto without thinking too much about his own words.

Hinata's brain turned to mush as she just couldn't process the new information. In a flash several dirty images went through her head making her dizzy and fall on the bed.

Naruto smiled content she finally agreed and proceeded to remove his coat and sandals getting under the covers with just his pants and shirt "Common Hinata! Are you planning to sleep with your clothes on?"

Hinata still in a trance like state removed most of her clothing to just her modest undergarments which Naruto found more proper than the ones Sakura and Tsunade used back on their mission in Taki.

Naruto made space for Hinata in the large bed and allowed her to quickly enter the covers and be as far from Naruto as she could in the bed's confines. Hinata turned around as to give her back to Naruto as she tried to think of other stuff and perhaps get asleep soon enough. She did knew that ninja missions required such actions to fulfill them but being sheltered by the elders all her life and only doing errand missions have left many of the ugly or complicated aspects of ninja life out of her system. This was also a reason of why at certain point she stopped doing missions with Kiba and Shino.

As Hinata was lost in her thoughts over her ninja career she noticed the constant and deep breathing from Naruto. Risking getting caught she turned a bit to see an already asleep Naruto, his chest heaved up and down rhythmically declaring how deeply asleep he was. Hinata noticed with her famed Hyuuga eyes the marks of travel on his skin and face, long months of journeying and fighting had left barely visible signs of exhaustion.

Hinata felt herself a bit guilty over Naruto's current situation. He was indeed a Sage and from the tales a mighty powerful one, but at his core he remained a human with thresholds that could be broken if not careful. He seemed quite content nonetheless and very peaceful, Hinata just prayed his presence would be enough to save his people.

With these hopeful thoughts Hinata relaxed and allowed gentle sleep to embrace her.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Mmmm, so warm…so relaxing" thump-thump-thump "Mmm, can't believe a love hotel bed is so good…" thump-thump-thump "What is that sound?" said Hinata as she opened her eyes to see that her head was resting over Naruto's chest as it heave up and down rhythmically "Oh, it was Naruto's heart…" her eyes closed again as she snuggled further into Naruto.

Like a lightning she opened her eyes as wide as possible, panicking she started moving her eyes up and down trying to figure out her current position. She found herself resting almost on top of Naruto; her head still lying on his chest, her left arm hugging him lightly across his stomach and her legs were entangled with his.

Avoiding screaming Hinata began to remove herself from such position recognizing that Naruto was still in the same position he went to sleep. She first untangled her legs as slowly as possible to avoid waking him up, once that was done she lifted her head from his chest and removed the arm hugging him.

As she started to withdraw Naruto stirred in his sleep and turning towards Hinata grabbed her by the waist and got her close to him. Hinata at this point managed to muffle her scream and desperately tried to find a way to get out from Naruto's warm embrace. As she struggled she noticed how warm was his body, it felt almost unnatural for someone to be so warm. She lifted her face to look at Naruto and see if he was feverish but his pleasant sleeping face indicated he felt comfortable. Hinata also noticed the sun through the window, it was almost noon, the inspection would begin at any moment!

At this Hinata forcefully removed herself from Naruto's embrace, but Naruto being stubborn even in his sleep, grabbed Hinata and took her back into his arms. Hinata yelped at this and having Naruto's face so close she couldn't avoid getting all red.

Hinata's breathe stirred Naruto awake, he found himself staring right into the flushing face of Hinata and longer inspection determined he was hugging her closely to his body and her chest was pressing hard on his.

Hinata realizing this was no longer an uncomfortable situation but a man grabbing her like no one before, couldn't avoid screaming and thrashing around to get away from him. The thrashing combined with Naruto's recent state of awareness made both to fall from the bed. This time Naruto was looming on top of Hinata while Hinata remained immobile on the ground with her hair sprawled on the floor and her body laid under his, covered by her modest undergarments.

Naruto kept staring at her, first with a look of surprise but after seeing such fine female the now familiar desire within him started to burn. Naruto slowly inspected her with his bright blue eyes without moving from his current position making Hinata confused on what kind of situation she was currently in. Naruto kept inspecting her until his eyes met with hers; Hinata's face was slightly red since she was not only embarrassed but a bit scared over his strange behavior.

Such look made Naruto compelled to draw his face closer to hers, making Hinata turn her face to one side in embarrassment. Naruto was about to say something but Hinata beat him to it "Huh…Naruto, it's almost noon, we have to go or we will miss the inspection…" said Hinata in weak shy voice as if not really wanting to not go along with his desires.

At an instant Naruto's desire and trance like state vanished, as he recalled his purpose, the Hyuuga, the mission, Hinata, his current position and the stern warning from the Inuzuka women!

Naruto bolted from on top of Hinata and backed away a few steps trying to remember how he got into such position. While Naruto seemed a bit confused Hinata collected herself also trying to figure what was she felt under Naruto's stare.

Both youngsters quickly dressed in silence not really knowing what would have been appropriate to say under such circumstances. On Naruto's side he has been meditating for some time those uncontrollable urges he had from time to time, in battle and when in presence of a willing female; he first associated them with human cravings born of his newly found interactions with society but the battle in Wave made him aware that such reactions weren't normal by society standards. On her side Hinata was also confused by how weak she had responded to Naruto's closeness, back when she was younger she never had much trouble going around with her male friends, but when she turned a beautiful teenager her iterations with the opposing sex stopped almost completely and her formation as a proper lady of the Hyuuga had begun while her formation as a ninja was placed in a secondary shelve.

Both nervous youngsters were broken from their pensive mood when a loud knock to the door compelled them to finish dressing and put on their henges "Hey, sorry to interrupt the happy couple but it's almost noon and you have to give up the room or pay for another night" spoke loudly the receptionist from the other side of the door.

Quickly Naruto and Hinata opened the door to the receptionist and apologized for the hour, the receptionist took a glance at the room and saw the mess the bed was and grinning added "No harm done cutie, seems like you had plenty of fun last night. If I had known I would have given you a free ride. Oh well maybe next time" finished while winking at the reddening pretended couple.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Having left the hotel behind Naruto and Hinata had bought a couple of apples as breakfast while they headed through backstreets to the formation plaza where the inspection would be held. As they moved and the sun rose to its peak indicating noon, they noticed how people hurriedly went into their homes and several stores began to close their stands and leave the premises. The air suddenly felt heavy with tension.

Hinata was a bit surprised over the lack of people assembling near the plaza and none getting to close to the area where the soldiers were expected to form. People looked curious and some of them actually looked ready or anxious to jump into the plaza from their well defended positions in the viewing areas designated for the people. Hinata explained that such inspections were basically a formal procedure in which the military forces of the country made a small demonstration to the clan leaders, foreign dignitaries and the common populace.

Naruto took a look over the area to ascertain any possible threats and the escape routes in case things turned to the worst. He expected things to go peacefully but seeing some of the bystanders concealed in large cloaks did little so set his mind at peace. Such bystanders had steely looks and moved avoiding being seeing as much as possible. These were probably members of the rebellious forces, probably sent to help the local garrison in case the main branch warriors got abusive and tried to oppress the still loyal garrison.

Naruto admitted it was quite a good strategy, if the main branch warriors started to abuse the still loyal warriors then the rebellious ones would bring their aide turning this still loyal settlement to their cause and further staining the main branch reputation among the civilian population. And even if things went properly they would remain to further plant the seeds of discontent. Whatever happens, the rebels would score a victory.

As Naruto and Hinata took a good vantage position from which they could retreat quickly into the safety of the back streets, a large contingent of finely armored soldiers poured out from the main base and took positions surrounding the plaza in its four sides. Alongside with them small units of Inuzuka and what had to be Aburame warriors also took positions gazing at the attending crowd.

As soon as the main branch warriors finished their deployment, the Cadet Branch warriors marched into the plaza flanked by their allies the clan less warriors. As they poured out into the plaza forming in several lines as martial discipline demanded the few attendants sent cheers of support and more than one claimed the toppling of the main branch, at this Hinata cringed a bit.

Naruto noticed that unlike their main branch brethren, the cadet branch were clad in worn old looking pieces of armor which sported several signs of unskilled repair and pieces forged of different materials. Only the few commanding officers held armors and equipment in slightly better condition. Their banners seemed worn and lacked color but still flew with an inspiring honor and respect.

In Naruto's opinion the battle hardened warriors carried themselves with much more confidence and pride than the main branch warriors despite the differences in equipment quality.

As the warriors finished their deployment a fat balding man clad in a richly ornate armor stepped out from the main building and slowly made his way to stand in front of the local garrison where officers from the main branch warrior unit stood waiting with arrogant faces.

Hinata gasped a bit making Naruto turn to her "What?" asked Naruto while watching his surroundings "That man is Hatsu Hyuuga; this fortress main branch commander! I can't believe how he looks now…sorry let's keep watching" said Hinata while trying to remain discreet.

After Hatsu a middle aged woman followed suit several paces behind. Her armor clearly indicated her position as an officer but the signs of decay in it also indicated her belonging to the cadet branch.

Hatsu climbed to a wooden balcony where the main branch officers stood over the troops, the female officer looking frustrated remained at ground level in an eye to eye contact with her troops. The warriors sent very hostile looks at the main branch warriors and officers at the plaza but sent reassuring looks to their commander. It was patently obvious to who their loyalty belonged.

As the officers at the balcony talked to each other and laughed while sending glances to the assembled cadet warriors, Naruto sensed several killer intents starting to rise from the mocked warriors. The cloaked agents among the people also emanated hostility but they were clearly trying to conceal their hatred, less they were discovered by the Inuzuka and Aburame warriors overseeing the attending crowd.

Naruto determined that the situation could get very dangerous very quickly and Hinata's life may be in danger if hell broke loose at the plaza. The harming or killing of royal family could very well ignite the civil war instantly. He would have to put Hinata's well being above the lives of the people assembled at the plaza.

Returning their attention to the assembled forces, the inspection was ready to begin as commander Hatsu rose from his squeaking chair and signaled the female captain to begin the ceremonies. At once the captain acknowledged the order and hailed the forces to present arms and banners.

At this the main branch officers also stood up and following Hatsu descended from the balcony and began to walk in front of the troops to begin the inspection. The officers were talking among themselves and laughing while looking at the assembled troops.

Hatsu signaled to the female captain to come closer and began speaking o her. Naruto wanted to know what was being said but the distance and the gossiping crowd made it impossible. At that moment as if reading his mind, Hinata activated her Byakugan and began translating the conversation to Naruto. Naruto was left speechless over her new found skill but remained silent as Hinata continued to retell the conversation.

"Captain Midori! Would you be so kind as to inform us why the armor of your forces is in such deplorable conditions? This is hardly a force worth calling Hyuuga" said a smug Hatsu.

"My lord, according to the regulation passed two years ago the Hyuuga main treasury will no longer be responsible for the equipment's maintenance of the armed forces since we are no longer in war so little use would lead to smaller expenditure. Nonetheless our forces still perform most of the clan's missions and have to deal with the daily routines of vigilance, escort and safekeeping of the clan lands; this mounts heavily on our available equipment and having a third of our mission income taken for the clan's sustenance leaves barely enough to provide for the warriors families, equipment becomes secondary to our most basic needs" replied calmly the Hyuuga cadet captain.

"Typical excuse from an under educated cadet. We carry out missions as well as you and still our equipment is in optimal conditions, check by yourself if you have any doubts" responded a young looking Hyuuga commander in Hatsu's entourage.

"With all the respect my lord, urban and diplomatic missions are hardly straining on armor and weapons. Here on the farthest settlements we have to deal with raiding bandits, wild beasts praying on herds, and long marches between towns and bases. No to mention that we don't enjoy the benefits of the main branch's discounts from the national forges under the household protection decree" said a clearly upset captain.

"All I hear are excuses captain! Are your men neglecting their sworn duties just because times are rough? According to your report several border outposts have been abandoned in the past year. What convenient excuse do you have for that?" exclaimed an increasingly angry Hatsu.

"WE have not forsworn our duties my lord but there is a limit to what even the most dedicated warrior can do. As I mentioned several times before this inspection, those outposts fell because they are far from self sustaining settlements so food has to be carried a long distance, local water wells ran dry and we didn't even had shovels to dig new ones! Out of necessity I had to withdraw men from those positions and resettle them in the road villages several miles away from the borders. I also recall making petitions to bolster our resources so we can claim back those outposts from some bandits who use them as bases from which to raid incoming travelers. This has hurt the economy of the northern settlements as a whole and decreasing the number and pay from the available missions" said a more agitated captain.

"Still captain, to have your standing forces on such deplorable estate is inexcusable, I have been very lenient on your performance since I trusted your commanding skills but this is clear evidence of your failings as a captain. From now on things will change, your new orders are as follow; you will send squads to recapture the border settlements and this time don't you dare to abandon them, those who do will be executed over duty dereliction. A month from now I expect to see every piece of armor in this garrison renewed and fit for active duty, those who fail to comply will have their wages confiscated until their equipment is optimal. Also to bolster the local economies, you will set men to escort every trader from abroad into the northern cities as to increase trade once more!" said commander Hatsu out loud to the captain who had stopped walking behind him.

Looks of surprise and anger where seen across the troops as they gossiped among each other about the new orders.

Naruto took a good look around as to ascertain if danger was imminent and discreetly flexed just to be prepared in case they had to make a hasty retreat.

The captain quickly signaled her forces to calm down as she approached Hatsu "Excuse me my lord but what you ask is impossible, we just don't have the necessary resources to comply with those commands and cut wages would not only leave our warriors without personal sustenance but also entire households that depend on them. Escorting travelers would leave the road villages unprotected from bandits who would simply cross borders where we wouldn't be able to pursue. Your orders will kill my warriors and most of the northern smaller settlements!" finished sternly the captain as she took a careful distance from Hatsu and his entourage.

At this the cadet warriors gripped their arms tighter and separated their legs slightly. Naruto got very tense as he knew that such behavior indicated that they had prepared themselves to jump and overwhelm the main branch warriors and their authorities. He also noted that the cloaked figures have moved slowly and silently around the plaza to neutralize the Inuzuka and Aburame warriors if things got worse. Somehow Hinata had managed to remain focused on the developing disaster in front of her eyes as to keep translating the dialogue between officers.

Hatsu may have allowed himself to go out of shape in the past years and become corrupted over the new powers given by the elders. But an old soldier never forgot some elements of battle and the slight changes in posture of Captain Midori and her warriors told him two things; One, this warriors may look poor and battered but a worn blade told stories of how many enemies it felled. And two, he and the main branch warriors though better armed lacked the experience and numbers to subdue the North Shield Fortress local garrison.

Hatsu knowing he had to conciliate positions or at least get the main branch warriors into the main base first tried to move to stand in front of his inexperienced entourage to avoid disaster but as fate would have it one of the main branch warriors moved forward and quickly slapped captain Midori across her face causing blood to drip from her mouth as she slowly face her foolish attacker.

The officer didn't lost time and quickly began a small speech he would live to regret "You damn bitch! Who do you think you are addressing to? The Main Branch has issued an order and orders are obeyed without question! Such are the way of the Hyuuga, the Main Branch leads with wisdom and is in the foolish cadet branch best interests to follow!"

The captain rose back from her position with eyes closed as if considering her reaction and sighing reaching a dreadful judgement beckoned with her movements the rest of her warriors to be ready.

"The greatest foolishness would be to continue hearing anything a bunch of spoiled bastards have to say!" replied captain Midori while delivering a powerful and palm strike dead center on the officer's chest sending him sprawling on top of the other main branch officers.

At this every main branch warrior gripped their weapons and prepared themselves for combat but already the local garrison had them at arrow, sword and spear point. The main branch warriors may be exceptionally well trained and armed but remained a much dull blade unlike the cadet branch warriors and their allies who despite the lack of better equipment, were sharpened in every day service and combat.

Around the plaza the crowd panicked and started dispersing away from the soon to be battle ground but the cloaked figures have already revealed themselves to carry a varied assortment of weapons to deal with the Inuzuka and Aburame warriors.

At the same time Naruto have broken Hinata from her Byakugan and had started to drag her away from the scene, but Hinata desperately tried to jump down at the plaza to try and stop things from getting worse and stop the bloodshed of kin.

Hatsu on the ground knew the main branch house have pushed too far, he became blind over the years of new privileges to see what the elders have sowed among their once glorious nation. Now death would not come in honorable combat against a resourceful Sarutobi, a powerful Senju or a proud Uchiha, it would come at the angry end of his own people's blades.

Hell was about to be unleashed on the plaza when loud horn was blown over the silent plaza where the two opposing factions stood ready to butcher each other. All the warriors remained battle ready but waited to discern the origin of the sound.

Naruto had managed to drag Hinata into a well secluded corner and placed a hand over her mouth as some warm tears ran down her fair face.

The sound of marching feet soon filled the city with noise as the four entrances of the plaza were occupied by large contingents of armed men and women. Closer inspection told Naruto that these new warriors were also Hyuuga but their armor and banners where different from the two factions locked in the plaza.

From one of the contingents a woman straddling a horse advanced towards the main branch commanders. The woman was young, though a bit older than Naruto and Hinata, clad in reddish armor of foreign design, two large Sais (Those cool ninja knifes from TMNT!) at her sides, her chocolate brown hair up in two buns which gave her a resemblance to a panda bear and steely gaze set in her dark brown eyes.

She stopped her horse right in front of the Hyuuga and with a strong voice declared her intentions "Greetings my lords! My name is Ten-Ten, lieutenant of Commander Neji Hyuuga's detachment in the western reach. I have come under the command to ensure the safety of the Northern Shield Fortress population and make certain the fortress is not victim to any further unsettling. The fall of this fortress would hurt our defense of the northern villages and the borders with our ancient rivals!"

At her presence the commanders looked a bit pale while the cadet warriors already sported victorious looks.

Ten-Ten, proceeded "That's why my lords your presence along with your troops in this area has been deemed as unnecessary and destabilizing. To further the goals and strength of the Hyuuga we ask you to return to your original base in the southern reach and leave things here to the capable hands of Captain Midori Hyuuga. We assure you we will lend our help to make certain the entire northern reach remains safe"

Old Hatsu came to the realization that with a single stroke Neji have removed control of the north western reach of the Hyuuga lands from the main branch authority. The city of Farsight would follow suit in a few days and thus the entire north and west reaches of the lands would be his. From a political standpoint Neji would have a stronger bargaining position before the elders when their announced meeting took place in a few days.

One of the main branch commanders made to grab Ten-Ten's horse and force her to get down and acknowledge his authority but Hatsu quickly slapped him to the ground and politely replied "We thank you for your timely assistance in these troubled times. I have heard of Neji's exemplary services to the clan and I am certain he can bring order and prosperity to this region. We shall depart immediately and head back to the southern reach" finished saying a humbled Hatsu.

Ten-Ten nodded politely and beckoned her men to make way for the main branch warriors to leave the fortress.

Hatsu had to quiet down the protests from the other commanders and quickly ordered the warriors to leave the fortress as orderly and quickly as possible; this was no longer a battle they could win.

Meanwhile at the center of the plaza, as the last main branch warriors left, the local garrison exploded in cheers and loud praise for Neji Hyuuga the now called "Hyuuga reformer"

Midori Hyuuga walked towards Ten-Ten who had climbed down from her horse and bowed before her "Guess we owe you and Neji. After this we will have to side with Neji if we expect to survive retribution for this rebellion"

Ten-Ten softened her look and placing a hand on Midori's shoulder told her "Neji's goals are those of every cadet and clan less warrior in the Hyuuga clan. We rise as to have our voices heard and our demands be met. If we succeed we, no one will ever bow their head to anyone who doesn't deserve it. We will be equals and the clan will be reborn stronger than ever, even those short sighted elders won't be able to deny it!" finished saying with almost believable conviction in her voice but Midori knew better, all this rebellion thing was a huge and dangerous bet, and Neji just managed to force her to pool in as he had so many other commanders who didn't joined him outright when he began his bid for reform.

But Midori still had a duty to her warriors and she would have to kill her doubts and give her full support to Neji's cause, so rallying her garrison she also cheered for their future.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto had finally managed to abandon the plaza undetected while the cadet warriors celebrated their flawless victory. Hinata walked by his side in absolute silence and needed Naruto's arm to keep balance. Naruto felt sorry for her, seeing the truth of this world was certainly shocking when one grew up with a certain picture of how the world worked. Hinata had cried deeply for her people and suffered much when she saw the murderous intent in all those warriors eyes for fellow clansmen. The Hyuuga was broken and its pieces were coming closer to clash with each other.

Gone were the days when she had fun playing ninja with her friends when she was a small girl, gone were the days when she trained with her younger sister, gone were the days when she performed missions travelling through her clan lands. Those days would never return and may never come again to future generations if this madness wasn't stopped.

She would have to take up her role as a princess of the clan and stand strong for all the people in the clan. She promised herself to never be weak or be manipulated into ignorance, if Neji could do such things being only a year older than her, then she could achieve things if she tried hard enough.

Thinking like a statist for the first time in her life determined that her maneuvering space in the northern reach have disappeared, her best chances were in the south were the core of the main branch power remained intact.

On his side Naruto had to praise Neji, despite what he may morally think of his actions he just performed a genius move. He conquered the north without casualties, added more loyal battle hardened troops to his army and now was stronger than ever to pursue his goals. This was a lesson in many aspects and Naruto would have to pay attention if he ever wanted to achieve his own goals some day.

As they walked mingled with a crowd still loyal to the main branch, Hinata reached for Naruto and in a weak voice "Lord Sage, I intend to stop this madness before tragedy strikes every home in my clan…will you stand by my side?" asked Hinata while pleading to him.

Naruto considered that though Neji's goals were worth pursuing, his methods will render many injustices and a lot of pain. Hinata was as determined as he was to stop violence from breaking out so holding her hand and bowing to Hinata "I promise I will stand by your side and do everything in my power to stop blood from being shed among clansmen. Whatever path to peace you tread, I will follow…"

Hinata nodded gratefully and just replied "Then we go to Truesight and face the elders and my father…"

And so Naruto and Hinata walked with renewed resolve southwards.

**AN: Finally Done!**

**I am alive so despair not! This chapter started slow but I think it turned out to be quite good, what do you think?**

**I am starting the following chapter since I wrote two consecutive chapters for my side project last time, so balance must be restored.**

**So how do you like my portrayal of the Hyuuga? Wondering about the infamous seal? Will Naruto nail Hinata, Hanabi and ten-ten? Keep reading to find out.**

**Also will be glad to answer any questions you have and please leave more reviews, they are my fix so anything goes.**

**Read, enjoy and review!**


	21. For Victory

**Chapter 20: For Victory**

Hana and Tsume Inuzuka stood at the front of the formation of main branch warriors, Inuzuka warriors and their dogs. Just a day after the fall of the North Shield Fortress a large force of cadet branch warriors in foreign looking armor stood at the gates of Farsight and its commander, the weird and passionate Lee, demanded that all main branch warriors and allies leave the city as to do not let the northern reach lose its "Youthfulness".

They both have met the man as a child and knew the many injustices committed by the main branch against him and his family so avoiding an unnecessary fight agreed to leave the defense of the city to the devices of Neji Hyuuga. With no fortress or reinforcements available, a siege would have seen the city reduced to smoking rubble. Another reason was that though they would have stayed and fight, without direct orders from the top avoiding conflict was the main priority for the local main branch commanders and their allies. No one would blame the Inuzuka for starting a civil war, which in their minds was drawing closer. They could imagine the southern reaches rallying their forces to meet Neji's challenge but where the cadet branch warriors had determination and a great leader to follow, the main branch had a bunch of sheltered old men and confused people to obey.

Defeat wasn't a possibility for the Inuzuka but pointless death was a different matter and certainly the Aburame in their swamps were thinking along the same lines. Tsume as current pack leader of the Inuzuka saw Neji's stratagem as rather simple but brutally efficient, the cadet branch had a clear command chain with him at the top while the main branch had a council of aging men, a leader whose involvement with the clan diminished every year and two strong but independent allies to follow. By simple numbers it was already a lost battle and when it came to leadership Neji have proved himself worth of every exploit he was famous for. Hiashi was once a strong, confident and even bold leader during war but the blows of having his brother and wife murdered wounded him deeper than any blade ever could. The last audience she had with him proved all her fears right and forced the Inuzuka and Aburame clans to take precautions to defend their own in case war did erupted.

Another thing she was troubled with was the equipment the cadet warriors were sporting; it looked brand new, of foreign design and was supplied in ample numbers as to cover for the rather numerous forces Lee led to the city. Have his rebellion being preparing for so long that he had time to mass produce equipment in a covert manner, has he imported such goods from another nation and if so from which? The possible answers were chilling and spoke of a great scheme set in motion long ago and if Neji was the sole artificer of it, then Neji was a terrible enemy to contend with.

As Tsume was deep in thought over the events taking place in the Hyuuga lands, her eldest daughter Hana approached her. "Mother, you think lady Hinata is alright? News says that fighting almost broke at North Shield and no news of her whereabouts have been made ever since" said worriedly while leading a large pack of pups born recently.

Tsume smiled at her daughter's concern for her liege, a great trait of worthy Inuzuka yet it could be a disastrous one sometimes "The sage gave his word to keep her safe, and he smelled like the kind of guy who goes at great lengths to keep his promises. And I trust my nose more than my common sense!" said a laughing Hana

Hana smiled faintly and averting her eyes from her mother muttered "Probably why dad ran away from you…"

Tsume just sent her the feral glare that made her so feared on the battlefields of the past war making her daughter remember her status. Tsume silently thought "I still got it! As for your father he was always a wimp! Though a cute one"

"Don't worry Hana, I sent envoys to the force marching south from the fortress to join up with our garrison. Hatsu will try to have as many soldiers with him in case Neji decides to send a louder message to the elders. If Hinata and Naruto have common sense they will be walking by their side" said Tsume to calm Hana though she wondered if Sages actually had regular common sense.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Greetings Ten-Ten! My Youthful companion and long life friend! I heard of your rather youthful entrance and flawless execution of Neji's plan! Neji's youthfulness will soon fill our entire nation!" loudly exclaimed Rock Lee third commander of the forming cadet warrior's army to her teammate and friend.

Ten-Ten smiled gently at the boisterous nature of her good friend, she always envied Lee's ability to keep his high spirits despite being one of the most abused and mocked clan less warrior in their current situation. Lee was one of the many reasons Ten-Ten followed Neji with passion, if things didn't change in the Hyuuga soon enough an age of chaos or slavery would begin. And that would allow the other nations of fire to move in and strike the finishing blow if only to stop the madness the elders were leading them to.

"Have troops been deployed to the near villages and border outposts? Neji wanted the entire northern reach to be stabilized before we move south for the reunion with the elders" commented Ten-Ten as both commanders went to their newly acquired palace in Farsight.

"Indeed, troops report people cheering for them and thanking them for restoring some sense of authority at the troubled youth less borders! Outposts have been recovered with ease and digging for new wells at them has begun!" declared Lee as he sat on a chair and removed his riding gloves.

Ten-Ten smiled, Neji's plan was going smoothly, if negotiations failed and more tension was allowed to build up at least the northern and western half of the country would be a strong safe haven for their movement. Not to mention it would put economical pressure on the south having their trade routes and especial impositions cut off, less they start paying taxes.

Still she hoped negotiations gave results since a lot of cadet branch people and clan less warriors still remained at the south, mobilizing them would be difficult and it would invite to a massacre.

As both discussed further elements of Neji's strategy a young Hyuuga maiden entered their room while escorted by two soldiers. She looked embarrassed of addressing the two famed commanders but the information she had was paramount for her people's future.

"My lord and lady pardon my intrusion but I have information regarding one of the royalty members that lived here until some days ago" said the girl while averting her eyes.

Ten-Ten smiled gently and standing up replied "No need to be so formal, we are all equal. Please tell us what you know about this member of the royalty"

The girl smiled but quickly turned serious as she formed the words "Until a few days ago, Princess Hinata Hyuuga lived here as part of her education on the land's settlements and customs. She was guarded by a large squad of Inuzuka warriors led by Lady Tsume and her daughter along the main branch garrison stationed here"

Ten-Ten nodded intently, Inuzuka were not to be trifled with. Excellent trackers, loyal to death and vicious in any fight, thankfully Neji's strategy had already started to part the ever loyal Inuzuka from their deranged masters, if successful the Inuzuka wouldn't be a problem in future conflicts.

The girl continued "Everything went by as usual, at least as usual with that clumsy airhead of a princess. But a few days ago a foreigner came to the city and for some reason brought before the Princess; there he reluctantly declared he was the Sage who saved the Land of Waves"

At this Ten-Ten and Lee gave their full attention to the girl, even the other officers and soldiers within the room carried on with attentive ears.

Ten-Ten asked the girl to further her retelling "At first he seemed reluctant to stay but after a while he was convinced by lady Hinata to go with her to the North Shield Fortress and spy on the inspection and check by themselves the abuses committed against us. Lady Hinata wanted to sway the Sage to her family's side!"

Ten-Ten was surprised, a Sage was looking at the events in North Shield and she didn't have any knowledge of it. Worse he was travelling with royalty and the princess was still with him which indicated the Sage was taking a side in this conflict.

"Lee, have a messenger hawk deliver this news to Neji! If a Sage stands by the main branch things will get very complicated for us!" commanded Ten-Ten while she thankfully dismissed the young Hyuuga servant.

Ten-Ten have heard of the Sage's exploits in Wave, a man who defeated the vicious and destructive ninjas of Water and then drives a whole army of mercenaries to run scared by just looking at them, was a man who could stand a serious threat to Neji's revolution. If the Sage decided to fight for the main branch, then victory would be jeopardized.

But at the same time Ten-Ten was intrigued of why a Sage, a beacon of justice, would side with the unfair main branch. If Sage's lived up to their name, then he should join them!

Ten-Ten recalled the servant in order to obtain a detailed description of the Sage. According to the girl it was young tall man, of blonde spiky hair with a small pony tail, bright blue eyes and some whisker like marks on both cheeks, she also mentioned he was very handsome though a bit dumb looking.

Lee returned declaring he had sent the message to Neji and they should be getting a response late at night. "Ten-Ten, why do you think the Sage is with the main branch? Aren't they youthful heroes and stalwarts of justice?"

Ten-Ten replied "Maybe he hasn't seen all facts, maybe Hinata managed to fool him unto their side"

Lee frowned a bit at that "Ten-Ten, though a lot of people in the main branch have been less than youthful to us, Lady Hinata was never one of them. I understand your reasons but please don't speak ill of her for I am certain there is a youthful explanation to the Sage's behavior!"

"Sorry Lee" replied Ten-Ten, she forgot herself for a moment. She did knew there was good people on the other side of the fence and though Hinata was a clumsy, shy, weak willed person, she wasn't a bad person, in fact they used to play together all the time when they were small, before Neji's father's demise, before hatred took root among the Hyuuga.

Deciding to change the current sour mood Ten-Ten went over all the measures Neji had ordered to be implemented before the fated reunion with the elders.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto and Hinata have been walking for a day with a rather large crowd of civilians, traders and soldiers still loyal to the main branch or feeling that war wouldn't come so far into the south. Hatsu the standing leader of the caravan had received word of Tsume's garrison leaving Farsight and heading southwards so he had ordered the entire group to set camp in a defendable position and wait.

In the past days since witnessing how deep the divisions among her people were, Hinata have constantly blamed herself for being such a fool. She felt guilty knowing that people her age were already leading their nations, Nawaki was less than year of taking reign among the Senju and Sasuke have risen to the challenge despite his young age. She knew that eventually the role of leadership would be casted upon her but seeing those examples in foreign lands made her cringe with fear of not being up to the task.

Naruto noticing her inner struggle grasped her hand gently and just smiled at her making Hinata blush lightly and making her feel better in an instant. Hinata feeling better but still worried needed some counsel and since Naruto was her only ally at hand, she asked.

"Naruto, in your travels, did you met with the leaders of the clans?" asked Hinata while smiling as some children played on the open fields.

"Curiously I did, they were amazing people albeit quite strange" answered Naruto curious for the sudden question.

"And how were they? Was anything special about them? Anything in common?" asked Hinata almost pleading to Naruto.

Naruto had a slight idea of where this was going so thinking well his words commenced "Well I met the leaders of the Senju, the three clans at the central valley and the Uchiha. They were quite distinct from each other if I am honest, some were of strong character, others were very unfazed about their duties and others weren't ready I think"

Hinata lowered her head, that wasn't the answer she expected. She needed to see if she, among all her flaws, had some leader material with which help her people and stop the coming disaster.

Naruto quickly continued seeing Hinata's crest fallen attitude "But there was one thing they all shared in strong measure. Love for their people, they may not be ready for the task but out of love for their families and the scores of people living under their rule they try their best. And that's really the only thing a leader need to be one. They put their people before freedom, sadness, hurt, confusion or anger; they are human like us and hence have to deal with as many issues as the humblest citizen but since fate had them rule they overcome those things and rise to the challenge. And somehow they manage, time will tell us from their accomplishments and their mistakes"

Naruto lifted her face to his and continued "You may be lacking in every aspect of leadership but there is one thing you have in boundless supply and that is love for your people. You wept when the opposing sides were about to kill each other, you shed tears for the pain and the mistakes that led them to point each other with weapons at hand. You already have the most important thing a leader needs to fairly rule her people, don't doubt that"

Hinata smiled and sadly replied "Must be great to freely roam the lands and be called hero anywhere you go, everyone welcomes your presence"

Naruto frowned lightly "Well being a Sage was a title at first for me, I had mastered most of the arts involved but the word hero hardly applies to me. In my first mission a stupid mistake of mine cost a life, anger led me to almost do a very regrettable thing, and I have to admit that I wanted to avoid helping your people with your struggles. But as a Sage I have a duty to fulfill and seeing your situation called me to honor my title and truly earn it. I will help this madness stop dead in its track one way or another!"

Hinata smiled having many of her worries lifted; even a mighty sage remained a human with fear and mistakes. And the other leaders probably had the same worries as she.

"Ahem! Seems like we got in the nick of time before the Sage "scored" another legendary feat!" exclaimed a glaring Tsume with and equally upset Hana by her side and half a dozen angry dogs at their feet.

Naruto jumped back from Hinata with hands in the air "I didn't do anything I swear!"

"Then why does Hinata have your scent all over her body!" said Hana in a very threatening voice

At this Hinata went beet red while Naruto sporting a lighter blush replied "huh, well you see…some things happened and we had to huh…"

Hinata saw how the Inuzuka women and dogs were about to torn the Sage apart so braving up she stood as defiantly as possible between them "Please stop Lady Tsume, Hana! I just slept in the same bed as him but nothing else! We had to do it in order to keep our cover in case someone considered us suspicious! I am a ninja too and such things happen from time to time!" finished saying Hinata while trembling but sporting a serious look.

The Inuzuka smelled her scent and it spoke of her usual honesty, still there was the feeling she left out something.

Tsume relaxed while placing a hand on Hana to do the same "Well seems like our princess here performed a good job on her self-imposed mission! Let's get a bite and hear the outcome of things to get a better hold of what's going on"

Naruto went relieved to Hinata and silently thanked her for not telling of what happened the next morning. Hana's keen ears caught that last part but Tsume placing a hand on her shoulder beckoned her to let it go. Their little princess was finally growing.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

After Naruto and Hinata retold the entire account of events at North Shield to Tsume and Hana, Tsume had confirmed such things with Hatsu. At Naruto's request Tsume kept his identity and whereabouts a secret since he deemed his presence might unbalance the current situation among the Hyuuga, Naruto wanted to remain in hiding at least until the talks took place.

Hatsu had confirmed the account of events and felt relieved that the princess was taken out of Farsight safely.

Tsume went back to Naruto and Hinata and proceeded to explain some new developments recently informed to her by messenger hawks.

"Well seems like the elders are finally taking some measures, already the main branch warriors are rallying their forces and joining up at the southern fortresses and keeps. We will find a large elite warriors unit to escort lady Hinata back to the capital. Naruto if you want to remain anonymous you will have to reach the city on your own" said Tsume as she seated at the fire with Hinata, Naruto and Hana.

Naruto nodded and got into a pensive mood while Hinata added "Have the elders given other instructions beyond preparing the troops?"

Tsume was gladly surprised to see Hinata finally engaged in clan matters "They have given instructions to avoid unnecessary conflict and have sent envoys for defensive measures to be taken in the most vulnerable settlements. They also evicted new norms to keep the servants and clan less warriors still in south from sensible government stations as well as military ones; they also had restricted the use of messenger pigeons and other communication forms for them. Amazing right when we need to have a conciliatory stand with cadet and clan less warriors they go ahead and basically declare they are getting ready for war! What the hell is Hiashi doing?" exclaimed Tsume but quickly repented since her small outburst made Hinata cringe.

Hinata recovered quickly and being as serious as she could she began "We have to act as if Neji already anticipated the elders' moves. Once I get to the capital I will need to revise our traditional deployment tactics, Neji probably already anticipated how and where our troops will be deployed so a new configuration may stay his hand further and force him to stall his plans whatever they are. This will give me time to talk with father and the elders and perhaps Neji"

Tsume recognized the wisdom behind Hinata's insights; this was no ordinary enemy they were facing but their lifelong neighbors and countrymen. They have helped build the southern fortifications, roads, and settlements and during better times devise strategies to better defend the land. They knew those things as well the main branch did, so the current deployment was like walking straight into a trap Neji would use with ruthless efficiency.

"Point noted I will speak with the other general's about this and redesign our deployments. But my lady, what do you expect to do against the elders or your father. If I may speak frankly your authority is very limited before them and your inexperience gives you no credit before others" replied Tsume, no more as a bodyguard or a friend but a fellow leader.

"I know my limitations but I need to see if I can persuade any of them to be more open and attend Neji's demands. Taking away Neji's reasons to have an army and keep the land split would end this madness before it turns deadly for many. And if I fail I have Naruto to support me, Sages are always heard by leaders and he has already agreed with me to seek a peaceful solution to all this" answered back a determined Hinata.

Hana seeing the exchange added her own views "How about asking for Hanabi's support? She may be young but she is still of main branch and a princess. Adding her weight may make the higher echelons of the family and society to put pressure on the elders for a reasonable negotiation. Also we should ask for the Aburame's support for talks, the combined pressure may force things in your way my lady"

Tsume considered this, indeed all this efforts may have a favorable result but having the main branch warriors split upon what to do may give Neji even more advantage "I will send a covert envoy to Shibi Aburame and see if we can count his support for Hinata. Nonetheless, my lady we must also face the possibility that Neji may not want a peaceful solution to all this, he has thoroughly prepared for this moment and we may have to fight him. If all things come to war, we have to stand united and determined to fight with all our might"

Hinata gravely nodded at the possibility "I understand lady Tsume, if we have to fight we shall do so undivided and at the best of our ability"

Hana hearing all this wondered aloud "So we are basically going to place leadership on lady Hinata?"

Hinata and Tsume turned their looks in her direction and Naruto also casted a glance at Hinata's direction.

Tsume considered it "It does sound like that isn't it? As a faction we need a clear head to follow either in conflict or negotiations with Neji. The elders aren't very cooperative and let's face it Hiashi isn't the same man anymore. Hinata with the Sage's support and credibility would make a strong head to follow"

Naruto considered the entire discussion "In any case Hinata, if you truly intend to take over leadership of the main branch you have to be careful, these people forming the council won't relent power easily and also a lot of people supporting them over the many privileges given will stand in your way. Whatever you intend to do, you have to be swift, decisive and careful"

Naruto, having reached his own strategy, asked "By the way, how long until the talks?"

Tsume answered "About six days from today, we can reach the capital in two days after the elite force picks Hinata and get her on carriage. I will go with her to guide her to the proper people to talk with. Hana will see to the deployment of our clansmen on the newly drawn border"

Naruto nodded "Then I am off to talk with the cadet branch warriors, I'll let them know that people on our side are willing to talk and reach an understanding, maybe I will get them to have some good will for our efforts"

At this the three women looked at him with wide eyes and at the same time "WHAT!"

"I am a Sage so I may be seen as a third party to this conflict, maybe they will be more prone to listen if I give them assurance that good people are making the effort on this side to help settle things peacefully" explained Naruto as he geared up for the travel.

Tsume and Hana did understand his point and at this point they needed as much willingness to negotiate as possible. But Hinata suddenly felt betrayed and replied at the verge of tears.

"But you said you would stand by my side at Truesight! I won't know what to do if you aren't there!" said a near hysterical Hinata.

Naruto closed the distance quickly and grasped her small slender hands in his "And I promise I will be there when you make your move. But as you have your duties I also have mine as a Sage and so I must speak with Neji and his people. You have your mission and I have mine, and as ninja we must carry them at the best of our ability"

Hinata stiffened some whimpers and recognizing the validity of his words nodded and sat down staring intently into the fire.

Tsume added "Besides it will increase our chances of avoiding conflict, by doing as much as we can before the reunion. Something tells me it would be too late if we wait longer than that to act. Lord Sage, it is very likely the elders won't hear Hinata's words and the dissenting voices will be too scared to act if she doesn't have strong support. My clan is already with her and very likely the Aburame but that alone won't move the elders, so your presence is critical as to give Hinata credibility as a valid leader"

Naruto nodded understanding the weight of his title and swiftly disappeared in a cloud of dust as he made way for Farsight, the closest settlement with cadet branch leaders.

Hana whispered silently "Amazing how much that man have changed lady Hinata in such little time. Sages are truly amazing"

Tsume smiled wickedly "Indeed, he would make excellent breeding material for a future pack!"

At this Hana went red and huffed away muttering "Getting strange ideas in my head! Stupid mother!"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto had reached the city before sunrise using the Sage mode to cover the long distance as quickly as possible. What he found surprised him, since the city looked like celebrating a major victory. People were dancing and drinking happily, children ran around wearing masks, the stores that once housed decadent activities now sported varied assortments of goods and others were just closed down. From a distance he witnessed the old lady from the inn and the little tea serving girl.

Naruto decided to remain unseen and moved as stealthily as possible between alleys and rooftops trying to discern an isolated leader among the many soldiers enjoying the party. He now regretted making a "cool" exit before asking for descriptions of the leader at Farsight and he doubted that girl from North Shield would be here.

As he went by, Naruto became increasingly frustrated over not being able to find a distinguishable leader, so he started heading for the main keep of the city where he was more likely to find a ranking officer.

Ten-Ten have finally returned from dragging a drunken Lee back to the keep after he blindly accepted a treat from a girl, he almost pummeled down the entire force, thankfully Ten-Ten always carried tranquilizing darts with her just in case.

She went out to a balcony overlooking the celebrating city; if things went smoothly they would have many days like this ahead of them, but if things turned sour many people down there would be mourning not too far from now. All she could do was to pray fervently for Neji's plan to succeed.

Ten-Ten have already removed her armor and was enjoying the night lights of the city as the party headed for sunrise. She allowed herself a moment's peace since most of Neji's measures have been implemented sooner than she expected, since the civilians on the northern settlements aided the cadet branch warriors in their duties.

She felt proud that despite the many abuses committed by the main branch, people who had been constantly abused still managed to hold together and help each other. Neji have brought them hope of a better future and they were willing to fight for it.

"Wonder if it wouldn't be better to just split the land in two and build a wall?" said Ten-Ten sighing

"You think that would be the end of it?" asked man's voice just outside the balcony.

Ten-Ten jumped back into the room and rolling around grabbed her two Sais from their holsters and in a defensive position demanded "Who's there? Step out coward!"

Naruto dropped from above the balcony and entered the room "Relax my lady, I mean no harm. I am the Sage Naruto from Myoboku and all I want is to talk"

Ten-Ten slowly got up to her feet and studied the man in front of her. He was all the servant described, even the handsome but dumb looking trait. She slowly closed the distance and like many before asked for evidence.

Sighing once more for this necessary introduction requirement Naruto proceeded to invoke one of the toads and have it vouching for him as a Sage from Myoboku.

Content with the answer and the demonstration Ten-Ten holstered her weapons and invited the Sage to take a seat at the other side of the table.

Ten-Ten was at a loss on what she could do, the Sage which was supposedly with the main branch was now sitting across her with a kind expression and not starting a conversation. And so, tired of the silence she began "I know you have been travelling with lady Hinata princess of the main branch which means you probably already know the regrettable estate of our clan as a whole. I should treat you as a hostile since you have spent time with our abusers so speak, why should I listen to anything you have to say?"

Naruto held his hands up in sign of surrender and replied "Easy now, I am not your enemy nor I intend to be so. Yes I have been traveling with lady Hinata and yes I know of your current struggles. All I want to do is help this entire situation doesn't explodes, a civil war would be the entire clan's undoing. Lady Hinata is currently on her way to have an audience with the clan's elders and her father as to convince them to listen to Neji's demands and have a spirit of reconciliation with you. Division would only foster further hatred and eventual conflict"

Ten-Ten snorted at the Sage's proposition and replied "With all the respect my lord, but despite lady Hinata's good intentions, all her efforts would be in vain. No one listens to the royal family these days, Lord Hiashi is but a husk of the man that once lead us in war and the elder's are a bunch of backstabbing greedy bastards who have taken all power and privilege for themselves. Hinata is nothing but a figure head they will manipulate to replace Hiashi when he finally kicks the bucket!"

Naruto was not taken aback by Ten-Ten's hatred for the main branch, but determined to stop a civil war from occurring he pressed on "And if the negotiations were serious, would Neji listen? If Hinata could negotiate with Neji, would he consider her a valid interlocutor?"

Ten-Ten decided to go along with the Sage's ploy and replied "The only way I see that happening would be if Hinata was named Hyuuga clan head in replacement of her father, with the approval and recognition of the elders, the Inuzuka and the Aburame. Anything short of that would make Neji suspicious and withdraw him from any deal. The elders must have a master to which they bow; if they don't then it would be the same as with lord Hiashi"

Naruto nodded in understanding, the cadet branch and its allies were playing a desperate card with this uprising and nothing short of a serious commitment from the main branch would stop them from taking arms against their now hated brethren.

After Ten-Ten's reply a deep silence fell between the two and Naruto wanting to end it and gain more background dared to ask "Would you be kind enough to tell what Neji's demands to the main branch are? I know this may be sensitive information but on my word as a Sage and my firm commitment to peace and justice, I swear I will do everything in my power to achieve a peaceful resolution to this tragedy!"

Ten-Ten casted a mild cynical stare, years of abuse, humiliation and neglect can make people stop believing that there was some good in others but those who have suffered like yourself. Still taking a Sage's word for what it was she didn't saw any harm in telling him the cadet branch objectives, any advantage available was worth getting.

"We basically want the social division to end, along with every privilege given to the main branch, no more main and cadet branch everyone is Hyuuga. We also want our wages to stop being cut to finance the clan, include that on the contract not afterwards. We also want the entire council of elders to step down, their laws revoked and a new clan head chosen by the involved parties. Anything short of that is unacceptable, the old ways must die so a new world can be born!" sternly said Ten-Ten showing her conviction and the inflexibility of their demands.

Naruto considered the demands and though they all seemed fair, reality dictated how hard it would be for some of them to be applied "And you honestly believe the elders or the members of the main branch will accept these demands? I agree with you on them but common sense dictates they will not renounce them easily specially after having them for so long"

Ten-Ten frowned deeply "Either they renounce peacefully and willingly or they shall do so in war and misery! We will not accept anything short from that and even if we find our demise, we will have grins on our faces since at least we would have burned their comfortable lives!"

Naruto was saddened to see such anger and resentment in someone so young and fair he couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of things has she and her people endured to reach such an extreme stand.

Casting a saddened look Naruto asked "And you would destroy what little you have? Leave orphans and widows everywhere just because your demands weren't met?"

Ten-Ten laughed and continued "We have so little already and whatever we have left it's only a matter of time before they take that as well. We rather die and leave the Hyuuga clan in ruins so better nations become our master's masters than accepting a life even worse than that of slaves!"

Naruto nodded and sighing said "I see, so that's your stand and I can presume Neji's as well. All I can do is try my hardest so you don't throw you life and that of many into ruin"

Naruto neared the balcony to leave but Ten-Ten nearly screamed at him "And what about you lord Sage? Aren't your brethren supposed to bring justice and peace to the land? Haven't your ancestors taken extreme measures to guarantee this? Aren't our demands just enough for you? Why negotiate when you should side with us and have the main branch bend! It's not like we are demanding their heads on a stick! We just want equality a chance to be as prosperous as they are and make the clan strong as a whole! No nation should cement it's foundations on the back of the oppressed!"

Ten-Ten felt exhilarated, she lashed out all her pent up frustration, and she really needed to scream at someone who actually deserved it. Nonetheless she felt her fury rise again as Naruto gave her a sad look.

"How dare you! You have the power to help us and still you will try to negotiate? You rather support a powerless girl over a just leader? Earn your title and render justice! Help us damn it!" screamed Ten-Ten while slapping and punching Naruto with decreasing strength.

Naruto on his side withstood her lashing understanding how powerless she felt over an unfair situation. Riku's death certainly was unfair and nothing he could do would change that. But he firmly believed that violence and imposition wouldn't work, that path leads to the loss of valuable lives, Wave taught him that and in the end several lives were lost and though some of them had earned it they also lost the chance to seek redemption which is everyone's right.

Ten-Ten was now openly weeping on Naruto's chest as warm tears wetted his shirt and small hands clung to the sides of his red cloak. Naruto reached for her hands and clasped them in his as he laid his compassionate eyes on her red puffy ones.

Ten-Ten needed some comfort to all her woes, all the abuse, all the mocking, all the injustices and all the frustration. But especially she needed hope that for once, for heavens mercy, things would go her and her people's way, that somehow the main branch would openly recognize their mistakes and help heal such rift.

Naruto saw the despair in her eyes, she clearly had bottled it up and now it was coming out. She has remained strong in the face of her companions and the people that admire her. He could tell how lonely and hopeless she felt. And so he did the same Sakura did when Riku passed away.

He embraced her tenderly as Ten-Ten accepted it and continued to cry on his chest.

After a while Ten-Ten finally stopped crying and lifting her face to look at the now somewhat troubled Sage she stepped on her toes and bringing down the sage gave him a caste kiss on his lips while muttering a soft "Sorry for that"

Naruto smiled kindly without letting her go and responded "No worries, you seemed to need it. Feeling better?"

Ten-Ten nodded but still clinging to him dragged him slowly to the large bed at the bottom of the room. Naruto noticed too late where she was leading them to and by the time he noticed Ten-Ten twirled them both around and landed on the bed with her straddling him.

Utterly confused about the sudden turn of events Naruto took hold of Ten-Ten's right hand and asked "Huh, What are you doing?"

Ten-Ten smiled seductively as she undid her buns allowing her dark brown hair to fall freely in curls "Be with me, just a little longer" and without further words she started her assault on Naruto.

**LEMON ALERT (FAN SERVICE YAY!)**

Naruto tried to protest but Ten-Ten plunged her tongue into his mouth just as he was about to speak. Naruto was very startled at this moment but Ten-Ten expert technique started to draw him into the act and little by little he relaxed under her ministrations.

As the kissing continued, Naruto and Ten-Ten had begun to undress each other slowly while feeling the hot skin underneath the clothes. In moments both were completely naked and still kissing each other while their hands had begun to roam their bodies seeking to give each other further pleasure.

A fleeting thought went through Naruto's head as he slowly fell to his own desires. So far the girls he had been with and were his own age have been quite inexperienced. Yet Ten-Ten seemed very skilled, she was kissing, caressing and touching in the right places in fluid motions. This brought a feeling of wrongness but it was quickly drowned as his desire began to burn anew.

Soon enough Naruto was ravishing Ten-Ten's neck giving kisses and small bites, making her mewl sweetly, which in turn encouraged him to go further and be bolder. His left hand kept Ten-Ten's head in place, while his right hand snaked to her nether regions where he began to rub her softly earning more of those sweet moans.

He began to slowly pump one of his fingers into Ten-Ten when she held Naruto's manhood and reciprocated his fine attentions.

Both continued to please each other as their breathing became short and ragged. Right before any could climax Ten-Ten stopped and quickly got on top of Naruto aligning herself to be penetrated by a very eager Naruto. "Take me now!" managed to gasp Ten-Ten as Naruto held her by the hip and lowered her all the way on top of him.

They continued for a time in the same position as Ten-Ten kept enjoying how deep Naruto managed to go inside of her. Naruto changed positions so he was on top now going harder than before while muffling Ten-Ten's screams of ecstasy with long desperate kisses.

Both continued to exchange positions seeking dominance but never allowing the pleasure to drop. Finally, after a long time, both reached their own climax while holding each other as close as their bodies would allow.

Ten-Ten's eyes were glazed with the ecstasy of her orgasm as Naruto's seed kept filling her at a steady pace. Naruto relished on such face and stealing a kiss from her proceeded to begin his ministrations to begin anew.

**LEMON OVER (Short I ****know see notes for explanation)**

Both kept going strong until pleasant exhaustion took hold of their bodies and just lay back holding each other as the sun casted its glance through the still opened balcony.

As they reeled back from the act, that strange sense of wrongness returned to Naruto as several questions started to sprout. How he came from arguing the cadet's position to be making love to one of their top commanders? Once again, why is Ten-Ten so good at it? Why is he feeling he just committed a terrible mistake?

As Naruto sat meditating about his situation Ten-Ten reached his arm and clearly reading his expression she casted a smile that was no longer enticing or even friendly.

And in a tone Naruto would learn to hate, she gave answer to his doubts "So, how did you found my training my Lord? Was I lacking in some area? My masters would punish me if I failed to please you"

Naruto's eyes widened at the realization of such words. What have they done to her? Have this happened to others? What kind of monsters are the elders? Why have she done this?

Ten-Ten once more realized the thoughts in his head and replied "Now you see one of the many dark reasons we have to fight the main branch. We rather face death than allow this to go on. Victory is our only hope, and with this I expect you to reconsider how you approach this conflict"

Rising from the bed and using the covers to half cover her lithe body she directed a last sad look to Naruto "Now leave and go back to the princess, I hope you do the right thing my Lord"

**AN: Done!**

**Order is restored and so I go back to my usual pattern of one chapter per story.**

**I have reached my twentieth chapter which is a major feat for me and now I have questions for my loyal readers as well as for those who never review yet read my story.**

**Do you like my writing style? Should I change something? Where can I improve?**

**The story so far. Do you like it? Does it make sense? Any advice or suggestions?**

**How did you liked the lemon? I changed the style trying to make it classier and less graphic since my previous lemons are poor at best and I have huge problems writing them. Most of the chapter was done by last week!**

**If you have an account please review this chapter since I need feedback on this phase of the story and my readers are my best critics, so take five minutes of consideration and do it.**

**Anyway, I am glad I have gone so far and hope I can keep writing another twenty chapters to please you all. Thanks for keeping up so far.**

**Read, enjoy and review!**


	22. Gather your Courage

**Chapter**** 21: Gather your Courage**

"What is the right thing?" wondered Naruto as he walked in disguise with a large number of people heading south for the relative safety of Truesight.

The right thing to do was something that at first glance was easy to discern but when you deal with several paths towards the same goal it becomes blurred with options and possible consequences. Ten-Ten had clearly made a dent on his resolve to end this conflict peacefully and certainly he wanted people to pay dearly for her suffering and that of many others, as his title demanded with clear principles.

Still, he had made a promise to Hinata, on which he would follow whatever path she found most convenient to solve this conflict. But mere pronouncements and a few gestures would truly make justice for people like Ten-Ten? Would that be actual justice, would that help heal wounds so bitter?

"Ahh! I don't know what to do!" half screamed Naruto as he held his head trying to figure what to do.

"Alright calm down. I have to see if Hinata will be successful in her bid for leadership, if she is then an understanding may be reached and perhaps the elders brought to face their crimes" thought Naruto regaining some hope.

But as soon as he finished that hopeful thought a darker one came immediately "But if she fails, the elders are unlikely to bend and so war may start. That would bring far too many deaths"

"I have to stop the fighting by whatever means possible, but both sides don't seem to be willing to give ground to the other. Damn those elders!" once again said Naruto drawing the attention of a couple of guards flanking the marching group.

Naruto quickly disappeared among the crowd and once more breathed in and out clearing his mind while looking for an answer.

In his thoughts it all came to one figure, the elders. They were at fault for the clan's current situation; in their hands were the root of all problems in this land. If they relented power back to the clan leader or to Hinata, then things would go smoothly. But he knew it wouldn't be easy, they were old powerful men, grown accustomed to get their way in every sense. Far too corrupted and old to accept new ways and they wouldn't pass on soon enough to allow younger generations to right their wrongs.

"Pass on…" that dark thought remained in his mind. "Remove them and you would give free reign for Hinata to take command and probably reach an understanding with Neji"

"Wait! That's not how I do things!" Naruto tried to assure himself but still…

Naruto allowed that thought to linger and started considering the possibilities. Before a Sage he is a ninja and thus taking lives was part of the trade. As a Sage Justice and peace were his paramount objective. Sage and Ninja have always been associated together so as Sage with ninja training he should achieve his goals in the way he was taught.

"If all things fail then would that be my last option?" considered Naruto.

"I hope things go Hinata's way but if they don't, I have to stop this tragedy from happening. Few for many, guess Shikamaru was right, you can't play long without sacrifice" darkly thought Naruto as he kept walking towards the capital.

Sometimes the options left available are the grimmest and inaction leads to disaster as he already so painfully learned.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

A day has passed since Naruto left Hinata to try and seek some good will from the cadet branch. Hinata have been talking endlessly with Tsume about the important people that may offer their support to her attempt at gaining leadership. She would require a lot of strong but sensible nobles to support her.

Nonetheless Tsume also warned her that the elders have a lot of nobles under their control and she should be very careful about the people she talks to and the words she use. The elders have made certain that the few dissenting voices had no space to prosper.

"Those are the nobles I have been working closely for the past years to ease the pressure the elders have laid on the cadet branch but their lands are likely to get squashed first in Neji's onslaught so they may feel that they need the elder's armies to defend their homes. You will have to promise to do everything in your power to keep them safe. Shibi also sent an answer to my envoy, he declares his support and is already speaking to his friends at the capital to give you more" said Tsume while she and Hinata ride at the carriage that Shino Aburame and her own son managed to bring a day sooner from the capital.

Kiba and Shino wanted to catch up with Hinata but she was very busy with her planning and so excused herself. To say that both were surprised with her steely gaze and resolve would be an understatement.

"Still your largest obstacle will be the elders themselves, they will use your father against you and still hold the most powerful nobles under their control. Also the younger commanders and a large number of their soldiers are highly motivated to subdue Neji's rabble as they call it" finished saying Tsume as she just ended giving Hinata the best politics crash course she could manage.

Hinata nodded slowly while her eyes were shut in deep thinking. She had fewer pieces than the elders but hers were solid and if well played might at least forces the elders to give in. Then she considered her father, the man was still an imposing figure and for most of her life she always held a complete obedience for the man as well as a healthy amount of fear given she would still be sent to the cadet branch. She have been listening terrible things about her father's inability to stand for the clan's best interest so slowly she needed to tear down the mental image she grew up with.

Of one thing she was certain, she would have to go against many of the Hyuuga traditions if she wanted to take the elders by surprise and hopefully outmaneuver them in her attempt to take leadership. And for that she would need something she never recalled having, courage.

"I wish Naruto was here with me…" sighed Hinata while looking out the window of the carriage while a long line of refugees moved south towards the capital.

"He is going to be there when you need him the most. But even then, you need to do this on your own princess, you can't depend on others for certain things. Besides it is unlikely he will stay here for long, Sages don't have nations or homes to return to. Naruto traveled here and someday he will leave. Your place is here among us to try and save us" said Tsume in a grave tone.

Hinata did knew her new responsibilities came at dire times and a part of her just wanted to return to her former ignorant self. But shutting your eyes doesn't make the storm go away.

"I will give my life for my clan if I must, lady Tsume. I just would like to have my friends by my side" silently said Hinata as some tears wanted to drop.

Tsume was tempted to comfort her but Hinata needed to face this with her own strength, she will be by her side but she also has duties to her own people and thus needed to be at a safe position. The best she could do for Hinata was pray.

Meanwhile outside and at the front of the escorting force stood Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame, heirs to their clans and long life friends of each other and former teammates of Hinata. Their team had been split when they aged fourteen and Hinata had started to develop as a woman and her training in aesthetic disciplines took priority over her ninja training.

Kiba and Shino had protested back then but their parents made them understand how things ran in the upper echelons of the Hyuuga main branch.

Nonetheless they managed to have time to visit her between missions. Both have also became witnesses to the decay of the Main branch over the years but seeing how Hinata seemed oblivious they decided to spare her the sad details of her family's doings.

When they got early to pick her up she seemed somewhat saddened at their grim looks and how they were armed in full battle dress. She never had seen them so ready for war and the guilt of knowing it was her family's fault.

Kiba and Shino on their side were pleasantly surprised to see their old comrade becoming such a beautiful woman. Still both had concealed suspicions of why she carried the mixed scent of a man on her body.

"She is grown into quite a beauty, right?" asked a grinning Kiba as he mounted his large war hound Akamaru

"She has, nonetheless she seemed very different from the last time we visited. Her look was that of resolve and yet filled with sheer sadness" neutrally responded Shino from under his hooded armor.

"You are right; she gave this strange scent, as if she wasn't her anymore. Also I feel like she is keeping something from us. You think it has to do with what's happening?" responded Kiba.

"That may explain her obvious sadness, but not the resolution in her eyes. She seems decided yet very scared, and she won't tell us" continued Shino.

"You think she doesn't trust us anymore?" said Kiba.

"Though time has gone by since we last went out on a mission together she always trusted us with her secrets when we managed to visit her. She must have her reasons to withhold something from us. We have to trust her as much as she has trusted us before, we owe her that much" wisely said Shino.

Kiba sighed acknowledging the wisdom of his friend "Still, that lingering male scent…you think a guy had anything to do with her maturing?"

"If there is such a man we will submit him to a most rigorous background check by any means necessary" said with the closest tone to anger Shino could muster.

Kiba grinned at the rather funny statement and just answered "Right!"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"A Sage…the hero of Wave…the brave companion of the Uchiha. Quite a development" Neji meditated slowly in his tent right in the middle of his main force.

"And according to Ten-Ten, he is travelling with my useless cousin seeking a peaceful resolution to our struggle. How childish, as if those geezers are going to even grant audience to Hinata" thought to himself Neji as he sat ablaze the two letters sent by Lee and Ten-Ten.

"Hinata is a fool if she thinks she can settle this with mere words and a few diplomatic exchanges! She probably doesn't know half of what the council has done to us for the past ten years!" furiously thought Neji as he slowly paced within his tent.

Ten years ago he was the proud son of Hizashi Hyuuga, the clan's steward and military chief of all the cadet branch and clan less forces of the Hyuuga armies; Hero of many and a stalwart defender of his people's rights before his brother and the council.

Back then when the war was reaching its conclusion after the glorious victory of Hiruzen Sarutobi against the traitorous Uchiha surprise attack. His father had informed him that soon things would change within the clan; he had plans for the Hyuuga clan to finally end its social division and Hiashi, thanks to his wife´s intervention, was ready to push the reform forward.

But tragedy struck twice the clan and his father and aunt were dead along with their hopes of equality. But that was just the beginning of their plight, the council quickly became closer to Hiashi and soon new laws and decrees passed diminishing the rights of the cadet branch and its allies; their reason was that since there was no more war there was no reason to keep the infantry content.

Lacking a real leader the cadet branch had little choice but to comply and endure, as they always did. Still the new rules began to become more and more oppressive stirring the young Neji to hate the main branch and everything associated with them.

His hatred burned brightly and soon enough whispers of change began to spread among the cadet branch and the clan less warriors, but Neji was still young and such talks were left to drunken rants in secluded places.

Neji knew no one would follow him unless he proved himself to be worthy enough to lead, so he and his long life teammates, Lee and Ten-Ten, set out to fulfill the most dangerous and spectacular missions the cowardly council sent their way. Time and time again the trio proved themselves to be more talented and powerful than any main branch warrior.

Their fame spread quickly and it came to its peak when only the three of them with little support of town militias destroyed a large band of foreign rogue ninja that occupied an abandoned fort near the Sarutobi border. The main branch had unsuccessfully tried to rout the rogue ninjas but they had proven too strong for them.

Neji had volunteered his team for the task and the council gleefully accepted expecting him to die and be ridden of Hizashi's heir. But to their dismay Neji had come victorious, eliminating every single one of the rogue ninjas and come unscathed from the battle.

From that moment onwards the cadet branch warriors and their clan less allies saw Neji as a natural leader to follow and natural successor to the position of clan's steward. Neji actually made a formal request to have the position granted to him but the council would have none of it.

The council with Hiashi's approval eliminated the position arguing there was no longer need for it since the war was over and no other loomed in the horizon. The cadet branch and clan less warriors were reduced to road patrol and local militias though they still performed their former duties with much less budget.

Neji still didn't give up and despite having the main branch in clear opposition, continued his activities to improve the meager conditions of his people becoming a beacon of hope.

The council then realized what Neji was becoming into so they needed something to break his determination and that of those who followed him. They passed the kunoichi training act and in a swift move hundreds of cadet branch and clan less warriors females were taken for special training.

Most women only underwent rigorous exhausting training but the strongest and most charismatic were given a different kind of training specially designed to seed fear and cripple their will; Ten-Ten was one of such.

After this Neji went mad with righteous fury and forfeiting the peaceful methods once favored by his father, killed in cold blood every main branch warriors stationed at his home city of Bronzesight. Word of his attack emboldened hundreds of his followers to conduct several attacks against main branch warriors across the western and northern reaches where their numbers easily overwhelmed their oppressors.

Besides Neji's attacks, the number of deaths kept very low since a healthy amount of doubt remained among the other rebels.

On that day the main branch lost effective control over the entire western reach while the northern reach was fleeting away from their control. To counter they increased the oppression as well as the numbers of their own troops. The measure regained them control but the whispers of revolt and revenge grew louder every day for three years up to this day.

Neji had determined that confrontation was the fated way to turn things around for the better and for that he needed to prepare. For the past three years he had used the wealth of Bronzesight to acquire raw materials and spare equipment to better arm his growing followers. At first it was extremely difficult given the cadet branch depended on the main branch armories but a lucky break put him in contact with a shady merchant who brought him what he needed in large stocks and at reasonable prices.

Neji didn't trust him at first for he was an old foreign ninja, but the merchant had proven reliable and had stood by his word to the day. Not to mention the equipment was top notch, which made Neji wonder from which nation did he brought it.

Taking the last years of struggle and preparation, Neji admitted he felt tired of the anger, of the hatred, of having his fate denied.

Walking outside his tent every soldier of his large army sent sheers and stood to greet him with admiration and gratitude. Immediately Neji felt relaxed, he had a motivated strong force to command and soon many thousands in the northern reach will join him to crush the council and their arrogant allies.

Soon…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Hashi Hyuuga stood proudly in front of the assembled council of elders at their luxurious chambers in the capital.

Once, the council of elders was formed by the most veteran Hyuuga clan ninjas who had retired from active duty and became advisors to guide the new leaders of the clan. Their role was nothing more than just giving words of wisdom and experience that were not necessarily followed by the leaders. But ten years ago the council became the factual leaders of the clan when Hizashi and Hiashi planned to end the centuries old traditions of the Hyuuga clan's society.

In fear of social collapse the council manipulated events and situations that led to the death of Hizashi and Hiashi's wife Hitomi. With Hiashi being a husk of the once great leader he was, the council quickly volunteered to take up the slack left by an increasingly depressed and uninterested Hiashi.

They quickly tried to squash the ideas of reform left behind by Hizashi by applying more oppressive measures and reducing the cadet and clan less citizens into humility and helplessness. But Neji's stubbornness forced them to continue applying new measures to qualm the cries for reform to which they staunchly opposed.

At last seeing the recent developments the council has gathered with haste to address the chaotic scenario Neji has pushed them into.

"This is a disaster! The entire northern reach lost within two days! Our trade routes to Uchiha and Sarutobi are closed!" exclaimed an irate elder.

"Scouts signal large forces assembling at the regional divisions and they claim they are far better armed than expected! Neji has betrayed the clan in exchange for weapons and armor!" shouted one of the female elders.

"What of our forces? Are they assembled yet? And our allies? Have they sent their warriors to the division forts?" asked another.

Seeing the chaos and the confusion Hashi had to suppress a smile of contempt "Such idiots! Scared over a few expected movements from Neji" thought Hashi to himself.

Extending his arms he called for order "Brothers and sisters, please be calm this is not the time or the moment to panic. We still have several days for our meeting with Neji and our forces are currently occupying their positions along with our noble allies. Our current concern should be how to address Neji's demands" finished calmly.

"You are right Hashi, Neji's demands are the true issue at the moment. He demands all the laws approved in the past ten years be revoked, Hiashi to be replaced and us to step down. Just who the hell does he think he is to ask such things? Has he forgotten his place so soon?" spoke the oldest elder.

"He is the one with half country in his pocket, a very motivated and experienced army behind him and most importantly nothing to lose but his life" replied Hashi stetting the rest of the elders in a somber mood.

"Then shall we comply? A civil war would be our end. The Uchiha and the Sarutobi would take it as a chance to destroy us and split our lands between them" spoke the female again.

"Unlikely sister, the Uchiha just elected a new inexperienced leader; he won't risk a war until he is well established as such. As for the Sarutobi, Hiruzen's health is waning and he is yet to choose a successor. At the worst they will send troops to our borders" replied Hashi.

"Then the civil war will see our lands burn; whoever comes through victorious will have years of hardship and untold weakness. The balance of power in Fire will be lost and it will be a matter of time before our rivals settle their own struggles and see us as easy prey!" spoke the oldest in despair.

Once again the room roused with words of defeat, war, preemptive attacks or negotiating. Hashi once again couldn't feel but utter hatred for this collection of senile scared weaklings, he found amazing they were the descendants of the first Hyuuga.

Rising again Hashi took the word "Brothers and Sisters, as you clearly estate a war would put the entire clan at risk of destruction no matter who comes through victorious"

The elders nodded "And bending over to Neji's demands would only turn the tables on our families and traditions further unsettling the society. Acts of vengeance and discrimination would run rampant throughout the country" continued Hashi.

"So our only hope of future survival would be to return things to how they used to be before Neji's rise" finished Hashi.

"And how exactly do you think that will come to happen? His armies are a reality and are at our doorstep. Half country is his and we don't have anything he would like in exchange!" replied another elder.

"We have our ninja arts have we not? We are ninja before everything else, if we have something blocking our way; we use our ninjutsu, genjutsu and kenjutsu to remove it" said Hashi calmly.

"Hah! And who do you propose will be able to kill him? I hate to admit it but Neji is perhaps the strongest Hyuuga alive at the moment! Hiashi may have been able to but he can barely get out from his studio these days!" said another elder.

"I never said anything about killing him. Killing him would only provoke his followers to retaliate aimlessly. We would have widespread senseless destruction throughout our lands and countless dead. No, we don´t want to kill him, at least not so soon; first we have to kill his image before his followers" finished Hashi as he signaled one of his aides.

"And how will you do that? Neji is unlikely to bend to our will at this point; he is here to make us kneel and I am fairly certain he will succeed!" said another elder while every other gave discomforted looks acknowledging a bitter truth.

As he finished speaking two heavily armored guards came into the chambers dragging a semi conscious Hyuuga servant of the cadet branch.

"I will show you how. This man was caught red handed sending whatever information he could about our movements and internal functions to the rebel armies. He is clearly a devoted follower of Neji's ideals and his soul burns with the desire to topple us and see Neji victorious. Isn't that right servant?" finished Hashi as he addressed the servant.

The servant looked up with his battered face and grinning wildly responded in utter contempt "Damn right you are! Neji will walk down this very halls and bring true justice! We will never bow to you or anyone else again!"

Hashi laughed lightly as if amused by the servant's fervent defiance and pulling out of his robe a small flask with green liquid he sprinkled some of it on his fingertips.

The two guards held the servant in place as Hashi approached him with a slight smile that brought a sense of dread to the servant as he uselessly squirmed to get away.

Hashi then quickly draw a rather simple seal on the servant's forehead and proceeded to make several hand signs while making a quiet incantation.

For a moment nothing happened but as the elders strained their eyes to see what Hashi had done, the servant erupted into an agonizing pain as the seal on his forehead shone brightly as if it was burning him.

The elders stood up and backed against the wall as the servant continued to scream louder than anything they heard before. After five long minutes of endless screaming the man fell silent letting as he whimpered while holding his forehead.

Hashi smiled and once again stood in front of the servant "Well servant? How are you feeling?"

The servant looked up scared and managed to say "What did you do?"

"I have secured your obedience; from now on you will never disobey a single order from your rightful masters. If you do I can make that pain to return and make last for as long as I want. Now kneel and swear you will never disobey your masters again" said Hashi calmly while standing in front of the servant.

The servant was still scared of whatever was done to him but still holding to hope he attempted to deliver a Jyuuken strike to Hashi's heart.

Hashi expertly dodged the attack and while pointing two fingers at the servant, he just said "pain". The seal on the man's forehead glowed again and once more he was screaming and squirming on the ground. After two minutes of suffering Hashi released the man and once more stood before the panting servant.

"Well will you swear?" asked Hashi again unfazed by the man's suffering

The servant scared and weakened just knelt before Hashi and in a low voice spoke "I swear to serve my masters faithfully and to never betray them again"

"Good servant. Now go and cover your forehead and go about your normal duties. Also please be so kind as to write a letter to your friends over Neji's side and tell him that we are scared and disorganized, that you feel that with a little pressure we will bend to his will, and that most nobles favor a negotiated way out of this. Be as optimistic as you want it" said Hashi while sporting a victorious smile.

The servant cowed in terror bowed and scurried away while escorted by the two guards.

"What was that Hashi?" fearfully asked the female elder.

"That Sister was our solution to this and future revolts within our clan. I also believe that great reforms must be applied to the clan to ensure our future and prosperity. This seal will be applied to Neji and his comrades and once we break them their armies will follow suit. We will make a purge to set an example and afterwards the seal will be applied to every newborn of the cadet branch. This will settle our position and in exchange give us a legion of completely loyal warriors that will do anything we tell them too" said Hashi as he retook his position and sipped from his tea cup.

The other elders exchanged worried looks and reaching a silent agreement asked "Where did you found such Jutsu? We never heard of something like that"

Hashi placed his cup down and once more smiling responded "That Jutsu is known as the Bird Cage seal, It's basically a permanent seal that permeates the receiver's skull down to its brain. When activated it causes all his pain receptors to flare up for as long as the caster desires. Extended use could kill the receiver but properly used will turn the most rebellious into the most obedient servant"

Amazed the elders continued "And did you invented this seal?"

Hashi laughed a little "Though I would like credit for such a complex seal I am afraid this is not from my creation or of any Hyuuga living or dead. This seal was in a scroll left behind by the now extinct Namikaze clan as they passed through our lands towards the now devastated Whirlpool islands. I don't believe this was the original intent but it shall work just fine for our needs"

The elders did remember the Namikaze and their attempt to become the dominant power in the Whirlpool islands south of their shores. They had wanted to create lasting bonds with them after they joined those red haired sea barbarians, by having the recently born lady Hinata engaged to the soon to be born heir of both clans. Calamity befalls them, and their dreams of establishing bonds with a sea power ended.

The other elders still scared asked something else "Suppose it can bring down Neji and his companions. How do you propose we subdue them long enough for you to apply the seal? Those three are among our strongest warriors; we can no longer bring them down"

Hashi laughed again "My good brothers and sisters, Neji is as much a Hyuuga as any of us, we know of his strengths and his weaknesses for they are our own. We have ways to bring down traitors and his companions likewise. Don't be scared, this turmoil will soon end and a new glorious age for the Hyuuga will come. Our society and lifestyle will remain for generations to come!"

The elders half smiled as they tried to believe in Hashi's words. Hashi had been accepted into the council a few months prior to the end of the war, he had miraculously returned from an Uchiha ambush and in that moment he had announced his retirement. Because he was from one of the noblest houses his admittance into the council was faster than usual. He was the one who had compelled the rest of the council to do not heed Hiashi's ideas of reform and encourage them to kill Hizashi and Hitomi.

He was the youngest but also the most charismatic, it didn't matter how outrageous some of his ideas were, they always sounded wise and worthy.

With this the elders began to plot ways to lure Neji into their chambers and place the seal on his forehead and that of his trusted companions.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Truesight was something to behold for the city represented the clan at its fullest and in every way. The city had a rather simple but effective design as two massive concentric walls enveloped the buildings within. The walls had several entrances that would invite attackers to strike at multiple points, but as this was its apparent flaw it was also its greatest defense for every entry point was heavily reinforced with the thickest iron doors and the battlements above allowed for the defenders a wide area of attack. Also the closeness of the gates would allow for the defensive forces to make swift guerrilla style attacks on the invading army and return inside the city quickly dealing heavy damage to the enemy as it grinded itself against the wall.

In the rare event the enemies may breach the first wall the second wall was higher thus allowing archers and long range specialists to rain death upon the invading forces. Within the second wall stood the most ancient houses of the Hyuuga and this in turn could be used as independent small fortresses in the worst case scenario. In a word the city is one of the most formidable fortifications in the land of Fire and as it could defend itself it could destroy its assailants.

Still for Hinata the most amazing feature of the city wasn't its military capabilities, great size or esthetic design. The most amazing trait was its pearly white stonework that covered the entire city making it shine with the morning sun and sparkle under the gentle moon. For her it was as if looking into something inherently pure.

But those thoughts left her mind quick enough as she remembered that within its ancient beauty the seed of her clan's undoing remained deeply entrenched here and it was her mission to root it out and hopefully stop Neji's wrath from consuming them all.

"My lady, the letters you wrote last night have been sent covertly to your acquaintances at Truesight" formally informed Shino to Hinata as he walked beside the carriage transporting her.

"Thank you Shino, you don't have to be so formal you know? We have been friends for a long time" serenely said Hinata as she felt exhausted from expending hours writing the right words for the people she expected would lend her the support she needed to stop this madness.

"I am sorry Hinata, its only that ever since we picked you up yesterday morning you seemed a bit different" replied Shino in a neutral tone.

"Different? How?" wondered Hinata as she enjoyed the last miles of journey she had to rest.

"Well, you seem more grown up. Like if suddenly you experienced a lot of things in a short amount of time" said Shino "But I think it's a good thing, especially in these times" followed Shino trying to compose his first comment.

Hinata smiled gently feeling happy to be close to her friends, having them around always made her feel more safe and braver.

"Besides! You have gotten really pretty Hinata!" added Kiba falling in step next to Shino.

Both teens though were surprised since they expected Hinata to go all red and start stuttering but in turn she just blushed slightly and smiling replied "Thanks, that's very kind of you"

At her new image both warriors went back to the head of the escort group not knowing what to say or do before such a graceful lady.

"You think it is because of that guy?" wondered a red faced Kiba.

"Perhaps she just reached the final stage of her development and has finally become an adult" said Shino with mildly misted sunglasses.

"Moron, she is not an insect! Don't compare humans with your bugs!" responded Kiba to Shino's strange comment.

"Then according to dog standards she must be in heat thus she becomes more appealing to the male gender" replied Shino

Kiba went completely red and screaming he responded "Don't be ridiculous! Women don't go in heat!"

"Then why does your mom stalks some of the younger recruits when on inspections? She probably has the very natural instinct of …" Shino tried to reply but a back fist shut him up instantly.

With a bleeding nose Shino replied "I did it again right?"

An angry Kiba responded "Yeah you did"

Unknown to them a red faced Hinata was both embarrassed and amused of hearing her old friends banter like in old times. She was glad that something remained good.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Hinata's carriage finally made it to the city where the streets were packed with people fleeing the north and settling wherever they could. Lines of new recruits were being drilled into soldiers by the veteran instructors as the more experienced warriors have already left to occupy the fortifications Neji was most likely to attack.

She saw with sadness how mothers, lovers and children gave long farewells to their loved ones as they marched out to an uncertain fate. Such thing wouldn't be so sad if only the enemy was a foreign power attempting to conquer them but this time the enemy were probably unknown brothers and sisters of these very warriors setting out to battle.

Her carriage went on through the streets into the secondary wall where the most ancient and impressive homesteads remained from the founding days. Her home was by far the largest and stood proudly at the center while flanked by the administrative buildings built on the passing of years.

Kiba gallantly helped Hinata step out from the carriage only to get angry when Shino imitated him by helping his mom out of the carriage and having her winking back at him with a feral smile.

"Thank you my friends, but now I need to get ready for a formal dinner with some guests of my house" said Hinata to her former teammates.

Kiba and Shino were slightly confused of having Hinata dismissing them so quickly but as they were returning Kiba noticed a stripe of paper attached to Akamaru's spiked collar.

Both read the note and with widening eyes continued to walk down to the city.

As Hinata walked down the halls of her home she couldn't help but feel some nostalgia of when her mother still lived and always walked her around while holding Hanabi in her arms. Clearing those memories she went straight to find the head servant of the house to inform her of her plans for the evening.

Before she could find any house servant a couple of small hands grabbed her breasts from behind and started to squeeze and massage them.

"Sister! Look at you! So big and healthy! How long has it been? Two or three years?" spoke a young female voice as Hinata attempted to get away from her molester.

Hinata had started to feel hot when the two hands finally allowed her to go. Hinata turned around sporting a bright red face to see her younger sister grinning wickedly at her.

Hanabi Hyuuga, second daughter of Hiashi Hyuuga and sixteen years old stood in front of her older sister. She unlike her sister sported a more tanned skin and a much skinnier but stronger complexion, her body was late to mature so several of Hinata's womanly traits were barely showing on Hanabi.

Hinata admired her sister as sweat fell from her entire body down into her training clothes. Hanabi was always the most talented and enthusiastic fighter among the two sisters but her stronger and more independent character made her fall from grace before the council and so it was rumored that lady Hanabi was going to be the one placed in the cadet branch once she reached eighteen despite being obviously stronger than Hinata.

"Hanabi! It is so good to see you. Yes, it has been three years since I left for my aesthetic trainings in the clan's numerous cities. How have you been?" asked Hinata as she readjusted her clothes which had become somewhat loose.

Hanabi smiled and once more jumped into her sister's embrace this time hugging her tightly "I missed you Hinata, all things are so boring and sad without you" said Hanabi trying to stop the tears from falling down her face.

Hinata was a bit surprised by this gentler side of her sister but truth be told she also missed her a lot and her house and her home city and her friends, a lot of things she had been forced to leave behind.

"I also missed you Hanabi, I am sorry I couldn't be here with you" said Hinata returning her sister's affection.

Hanabi continued to embrace her sister but slowly her hands started to drop down to Hinata's bottom. Sensing her movement Hinata pushed her at arm's length and smiling said "I think that is enough for welcoming.

Hinata by now remembered how Hanabi was amazed by her body's development and how she usually groped her whenever she could and told her she would someday surpass her.

Getting a straight face she addressed Hanabi seriously "Hanabi, how is father?"

Hanabi casted her eyes to the ground "Not well, he is constantly lost in his own memories and he barely eats anymore. He hardly remembers my name whenever I try to talk with him and sometimes he sends servants to call for mother and uncle. He is slowly drifting farther away from us"

Hinata sighed acknowledging this, for some years as she was little her father tried to be a stern and strict leader but the pain of losing his brother and wife was too much and so his façade crumbled allowing the council to fully grasp the control of the clan. Ever since Hiashi has allowed himself to fall deeper in delusions where his brother and wife still lived with him in the first period of peace Fire had endured in many long years.

Realizing her father wouldn't be able to help at all she decided to not look for him at the moment, the clan was in peril and precious time was running out. "Hanabi, did you receive my letter?"

Hanabi blinked twice and nodded "Yes I did, I already asked the servants to prepare food and drinks for tonight, but why do you want to give them the rest of the night off? And why did you want me to keep an eye out for any of the elders' staff?"

Hinata placed her hands on Hanabi's shoulders and said "Hanabi, for the moment just trust me. A few days ago I realized something very important and I believe it is time I acted upon it"

Hanabi just nodded but didn't understand what was she talking about but that look of certainty compelled her to agree.

Night had come and several carriages were arriving to the Hyuuga main household. As instructed the servants swiftly escorted the guests to the banquet room where tasty but rather humble dishes already expected them.

The guests have been told that in honor of Hinata's safe return to Truesight, princess Hanabi would give a small welcoming banquet. Some of the guests were already suspicious for they didn't saw any of the most powerful and prominent members of the other Hyuuga main branch houses.

One by one they were invited to be seated in front of their already served dinners as they felt somewhat insulted for the rather Spartan treatment. When the banquet room was filled, the servants left silently closing every access door.

The nobles felt somewhat nervous over the strange situation but as one of the nobles was about to rise and leave the main door opened revealing and incredibly elegantly dressed Hinata who came in escorted by her sister who was wearing a light but ornate Hyuuga deep purple armor.

Hinata walked all the way to her seat as everyone took into her noble looks and the air of resolve and sadness radiating from her. More than one of the oldest nobles couldn't help but remember Hitomi as her daughter shared much of her traits.

Hinata sat and beckoned the rest of the nobles to take seat as well.

"My lords and ladies, I welcome you to my house and ask your forgiveness for the humble dinner in front of you but I have invited you all for a different purpose than to celebrate my return. Hanabi if you will" said Hinata as Hanabi went through a series of hand signs.

The four walls of the room glowed with several symbols that disappeared quickly. The nobles recognized the symbols as a high level genjutsu that transformed the sound coming from the room into useless chatter and managed to dull the capabilities of a Byakugan.

The nobles seemed worried but Hinata's soothing voice sat them at ease "Please be not afraid, this measures are necessary for what I must ask from you may be dangerous"

One noble taking a quick sip from the expensive sake spoke first "If I may my lady but what is it that you want to request from us? We come here expecting a nice dinner to forget the current state of things and we find this betrayal"

Hinata bowed her head slightly "Please forgive me but what we are about to discuss requires a certain amount of discretion"

Rising her head she addressed the assembled nobles with a strong clear voice "As you all know our clan stands on the brink of civil war. Such war, whatever the outcome would be the clan's permanent undoing as it would take generations to recover and leave us severely vulnerable before our more than formidable rivals in the Land of Fire. A negotiated way out of this conflict is our only hope of survival as a whole"

The nobles were very surprised, for they never expected the young princess to take the clan matters seriously into her hands. Still her words ringed with bitter truth.

"Also as you all know our council holds the factual leadership of our clan and they are not showing any signs of conciliation with our cousins at the Cadet branch. For that reason our elders are unlikely to listen to Neji's demands thus sending us into unavoidable conflict" continued Hinata.

"We all know this my lady but there is little we can do, some of Neji's demands attempt against our most ancient traditions, not to mention that our most powerful peers favor conflict to solve matters. They believe Neji's armies are a weak untrained rabble" responded a noble

"I know of our clans traditions, and probably they worked in the past for they ensured our survival when we were young. But those traditions are obsolete since we are no longer a small clan struggling to survive, but a once thriving nation that has been divided for far too long. Change comes to all things and unless we do that we will pass to history as the only clan that managed to destroy itself!" spoke Hinata with passion.

The nobles were a bit taken aback; nonetheless they did recognize the peril in which their clan was.

"We are conscious of our woes but there is little we can do. Seeing the nobles gathered here I can tell that our political or military influence is very limited, our forces combined only make for a quarter of the clan's main branch strength and most of our lands and possessions are at Neji's advance route. We need the clan's main branch armies to defend them!" spoke back another Noble.

"My lords and ladies, I know of your worries and I am devastated for them. But as members of this clan our foremost duty is to preserve the clan from its enemies. Houses and farms can be rebuilt from the ashes but lives cannot. I appeal to your sense of duty and honor to the clan, to do what must be done. The council is no longer reasonable and their stubbornness must be brought to an end for all of our sakes. An agreement with Neji must be reached if the Hyuuga are to endure!" said Hinata in a definite tone.

At this all nobles leant back on their chairs as the full weight of the impending doom fell on their shoulders. At last a noble asked "And what is my lady suggesting we do?"

"Give me your support in my attempt to ask for clan's leadership. My father is no longer able to command us and as one his heirs it is my duty to see a responsible leader to be elected. I may presume much of myself by asking this but I can offer my retirement the moment this crisis is over" said Hinata finally stating her intentions.

The nobles were very surprised for such bold request, the last time an heir asked for the current clan leader to be removed was five hundred years ago after a disastrous attempt to cross the ocean and invade the Whirlpool islands.

A noble rose and spoke "My lady, we all want this crisis averted but even if we pooled our support, you wouldn't have enough nobles backing you up, the formal procedure demands unanimity from the noble houses. And with all the respect, most of the strongest nobles still believe you to be an air head with no real power within the family, they would see this attempt as a ploy from us to avoid going to war and bend over in fear!"

Hinata cringed a bit at the perception the ruling families of Hyuuga had of her but steeling her resolve spoke "I already have the full support of our noble allies, the Aburame and the Inuzuka, with signed letters from both. And I am glad to announce that the Sage Naruto is also supporting my bid"

At this everyone in the room, included Hanabi, went wide eyed; A Sage? Here? And supporting the princess?

The nobles had heard of the rumors that a new Sage have returned to Fire after ten years of absence but so far they didn't had but rumors coming from the Uchiha lands.

At that moment a loud knocking made everyone to drop from their surprise and become scared over the possibility of having been found.

Hanabi got ready for battle but Hinata told her to drop the genjutsu to allow the person outside to enter the hall.

Hanabi complied and having dropped the genjutsu she opened the door to allow a tall blonde man with a red coat to enter the room while escorted by Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. She couldn't help but notice that the stranger and Kiba sported a few marks of fighting but she didn't say anything.

Naruto walked straight to the center of the room where he quickly gathered Nature Chakra and entered the Sage mode displaying his full power for all of them to see and feel.

Every person in the room was awed by the display of power and immediately realized who this person was. The Sage Hinata had mentioned was right in front of them leaving no doubts as to his title.

Calming down Naruto released the Sage mode and with a serious look addressed the gathering of nobles

"Nobles of Hyuuga, I have come to put an end to this madness. Gather your courage and grant me your help and support for lady Hinata"

All nobles shared confused looks but had to agree on one thing, Hinata Hyuuga was serious about her intentions and she got herself a powerful ally. For the first time in months they saw a small ray of hope.

**AN: Done!**

**Yeah! I managed to update before Christmas, so take it as my gift to you all dear readers!**

**So how was the chapter? I have my doubts about a few things but I wanted to update before leaving for holidays and be unable to keep writing.**

**During these holidays and very likely to new year I may not be able to write as much as I want so my best guess would be that I will update somewhere around January**

**Once again, I encourage you all to review the story, give me some feedback on what aspects I could work on or how to make the story even more enjoyable than it already is.**

**Also if you have questions regarding the story, the content background and all we have gone through already, I am more than willing to answer.**

**Anyway, I wish you all some great holidays wherever you are and with whoever you are. May 2011, be a year when all your wishes come true.**

**Read, enjoy and review.**


	23. Setting up

**Chapter 22: Taking Positions**

**The Afternoon before the banquet…**

"How are we supposed to find someone we have never seen before? And what she meant by looking out for her scent?" loudly asked Kiba to Shino as Akamaru sniffed the air as the duo walked down the streets of Truesight.

"She may be referring to the man which scent lingers on Hinata. Its logic to assume the man carries some of her scent on his body. If only some of her scent remains on him my insects or Akamaru should be able to detect him, we only need to be closer and patient" replied Shino as he kept looking around for any outstanding person.

"And how do you suppose those two came to have each other's scents? I mean you just don't pick someone else's scent by clasping hands or giving a hug" worriedly wondered Kiba.

"There are a number of possibilities. They slept together, they exchange bodily fluids, their clothes were left on top of the others', or they trained for several hours in grappling positions" explained Shino to a crimson red Kiba

"W-W-What the hell Shino? You are implying Hinata got physical with a man she barely knows! More importantly, we don't know! She couldn't have!" desperately exclaimed Kiba.

Seriously turning around Shino got in front of Kiba "Kiba! We are no longer children; we are ninja, warriors with dangerous and often brief lives. Because of that, it's only natural we seek the pleasures of life a bit earlier than the civilians. Hinata is no different from us, she must have cravings and desires just like us, and sooner or later she would seek out someone to satisfy them. To think she would remain a pure virginal princess all her life is to be naïve"

Kiba just got redder but had to accept the sad truth behind Shino's words. But something was wrong with the whole picture, how come sweet shy Hinata seduced or got seduced by a man if Hana and his mom kept constant vigil around her? Were those two in league with Hinata? Did they corrupt her?

Kiba wanted to pull out his hair in despair but something else tugged at his mind "Hey Shino, how come you know so much about this stuff? Don't tell me you; you have done stuff like that before?"

Shino turned around and calmly said "But of course, as I explained before our lives are short and so we must make the most of them. It's common sense Kiba"

Kiba half grinned and half shuddered "And why you never told me? Who you did it with? Common, share the love!" said Kiba forgetting about Hinata's moral dilemma.

Shino stiffened a bit at his friends request and missing a step he replied carefully "To begin with, you never asked and I assumed you have done similar stuff since you always brag about how the younger female warriors are always staring at you. Besides a gentleman doesn't have memory or so they say" finished Shino as a few sweat drops appeared on his barely visible face.

Kiba knew that slight change in Shino's demeanor, and it always meant an embarrassing situation of Shino regarding his mother. Kiba was about to further inquire Shino about his experience but Akamaru loud barks distracted him.

Akamaru barked several times explaining Kiba about his findings. According to him a man had a slight trace of Hinata's scent but it was mostly covered by the heavy scent of a long time known friend and soon to be enemy.

The two ninja got serious forgetting about their previous exchange and started to move swiftly and silently among the crowds of people filling the city. Akamaru led them towards the target while Shino's insects tried to pinpoint him.

Their search didn't take long as they noticed a very tall blonde man with green eyes. Shino informed Kiba that the man had a constant flux of chakra running through his body which indicated the man was concealing his appearance with a henge.

As Shino and Kiba approached the man to pull him apart and figure out who he is, a small group of female Inuzuka warriors approached the stranger. They started to talk to him and surround him as if trying to get him to walk with them. The stranger gave apologetic looks and replied politely to the advances of the female warriors making them pout but at the same time they all sent sultry looks to him as they walked away.

"Seems like the kind of man to have no problems attracting women, no wonder Hinata got an interest in him. Still there must be more to him than just being the "especial friend" if Hinata wants him at her home. Maybe she can't control herself, what do you think Kiba?" said Shino while observing the stranger.

Kiba was red faced and fuming after the barrage of blatant comments made by Shino. How could this absolute stranger have swayed sweet innocent Hinata? Have they done this and that already? Has he been kind and gentle or rude and forceful? What has the stranger he didn't to have such luck? And why the hell does he reek of another woman if he is already with Hinata?

Kiba needed to breathe in and out to calm down as Shino placed a hand on his shoulder "You recognize the other scent? Its Ten-Ten's no doubt about it, might he be a spy sent by Neji?"

Kiba's head shot up with sudden hope in his eyes "That's what it is, he has to be a spy and a two time cheating bastard who has deluded Hinata's common sense. Let's go Shino, we will corner him and the coward will spill the beans!" finished Kiba while laughing maniacally.

Shino sighed "Poor innocent Kiba…"

….

Naruto had just finished rejecting the advances of those Inuzuka warriors, they were certainly among the most daring and shameless, and not like Hinata he thought.

Now he had to find his way to Hinata's home, only problem was that the city was terribly large and packed with people and soldiers. As he mused over these issues a couple of hands swiftly shoved him into a secluded alley where he received a punch square in the face effectively dispelling the Henge he had.

"What the hell? Who are you?" screamed Naruto as he backed on the far wall putting some space between him and his attackers.

"Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka now give us your name and purpose to be in this city" replied Shino as he stood in the way of a growling Kiba.

Naruto was a bit surprised but hearing the name Inuzuka made him feel a bit more relaxed for the Inuzuka warrior shared many similarities with Tsume and Hana.

"Well if you must know I am Naruto and I would really appreciate if you could direct me to Princess Hinata Hyuuga, it is of utmost importance that I see her" replied Naruto as he straightened his clothes.

"And may we ask who you think you are to ask us that? We don't know you and for all we know you could try to take Princess Hinata's life" continued Shino earning a confused look from Kiba.

"I would never hurt her! She is too important to this country and a lot of people depend on her to see this crisis through! You may subject me to any test you wish to prove my honesty, but you must take me to her, I promised to be with her!" fiercely replied Naruto

Shino seemed to accept his statement and so relaxed his stance but in a blur Kiba tackled Naruto and started to yell at his face "You two timing bastard! I can smell Hinata and Ten-Ten all over you! You are the worst kind of man there is! You probably seduced Hinata while dating Ten-Ten! Leave something for the rest of us!"

Naruto not knowing what the hell did the guy on top of him was saying threw him away with his leg as he replied "Get off me you dog breath! What the hell are you talking about?"

Kiba quickly stood up and got into a fighting stance "Don't play innocent! We can tell you fooled around with both Hinata and Ten-Ten! You are just playing with Hinata's feelings!"

Shino sighed and said "More like he is playing with yours, Kiba"

Naruto realizing the misunderstanding quickly replied "I only slept with Hinata in the same bed and Ten-Ten, she, huh, tricked me into doing it with her"

Kiba couldn't believe his ears, he got Hinata into bed with him and Ten-Ten basically raped him? "Fat chance I will believe that! I don't know what your game is, but I won't let you come close to Hinata!"

At this both angry warriors locked their hands trying to gain dominance but were matched in raw physical strength.

"You moron! I am here to help you all! Take me to her or stand out of my way!" yelled Naruto at Kiba's face.

"I won't let you pervert Hinata any further you two faced bastard!" replied Kiba

Shino having grown tired of the silly argument asked Akamaru a small favor. The next moment Akamaru had tackled Kiba holding him down with his massive frame while Naruto's hands and feet were encased in a swarm of small insects rendering him unable to move.

"Kiba, Hinata wouldn't have sent us to look for her lover without good reason of if it wasn't important. Besides, if you clear your head you could tell he isn't lying" said Shino to the felled Kiba.

"As for you, Naruto; though you sound truthful I will remind you where you are so whatever your intentions are you better behave" said Shino as he ordered his insects back into his carapace armor.

Kiba got up from under Akamaru and approaching Naruto he mumbled "Sorry for that, you are lady Hinata's guest. We will escort you to her"

Naruto still somewhat angry replied in the same way "No, problem"

As the small group prepared to leave the alley, Shino turned around once more to Naruto "By the way, if you happen to hurt lady Hinata's feelings I will have my bugs leave you unable to mate with other females"

Naruto for some reason cringed with the mental picture and turning to Kiba asked "Can he do that?"

"Don't know, but he rarely make threats" said an equally scared Kiba.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

**A****t the banquet…**

Every noble at the banquet hall was left speechless at the presence of such a legendary figure. The last time a Sage had appeared among the peoples of Fire was at the end of the war when it had helped Sarutobi end the fighting among the clans.

Hinata couldn't help but hold back a smile and the urge to thank the heavens for allowing Naruto to fulfill his promise of being here when she needed him the most. She could no longer remember why she has come to need him around but his presence made her feel more confident and strong. Maybe it was because he was the first to believe in her and willfully follow her to whatever end.

On her side Hanabi couldn't stop ogling the handsome Sage; she wanted to grab him and try all different kind of stuff she had read on a certain orange book. But by the endearing grateful look on her sister, there was more to this story than just a common objective.

Naruto watched around as every noble couldn't remove their sight from him. Feeling satisfied with his heroic introduction he proceeded to stand next to Hinata at the head of hall.

Having the genjutsu placed once more the gathering continued with a renewed sense of hope and actual planning now that those who favored peace had a trump card.

"My lady, what is the plan now?" eagerly asked one of the nobles.

Hinata calming down her excitement carefully recalled the plan she and Tsume had devised as the more effective.

"First than anything, I will speak with my father to ask for his withdrawal from leadership. It is unlikely he will accept but all I need is his acknowledgement of the claim. Immediately after I will require you all to present individual letters questioning the current leadership and your petitions for change. Along with these letters you will present a shared petition to challenge the leadership of the clan" finished saying Hinata.

"But that would only create a bureaucratic nightmare, at the best it will only confuse the council" said one of the nobles.

"Exactly, at the same time you will contact the more powerful nobles, I will leave how you contact them to your discretion. Share the thought of changing leadership and seed the discontent of having the council ruling upon us all like kings and queens; they were meant to be retired and just a voice of wisdom nothing more. Basically try to use their pride to get them mad at the council and lend me their support. How you play this point is also to your discretion" continued Hinata.

"What about the meeting with Neji? And the assembly of our forces to meet his?" asked another noble.

"I intend to be present at the meeting if things go according to plan. In case the council is still reining our second best option would be to force the council to seek more time to settle down the political situation among us. As for the army deployment I already sent an envoy to have our forces reorganized in different patterns and locations creating a powerful defensive wall across our most sensible positions. I asked for the redeployment since Neji probably had anticipated our usual plans for invasion, this move should put a dent in his confidence and perhaps cool him down a bit" finished saying Hinata.

Everyone gathered around were pleasantly surprised to find a real statist among the heirs of the clan, with this her claim to the leadership would be stronger and perhaps turn some of the stronger nobles to their side.

"And what is the Sage here going to do?" asked a female noble.

"He is here to tell you a few things as well as to legitimize my claim since he has kindly placed his trust in me to solve this conflict. My lord, if you will?" said Hinata gesturing Naruto to address the gathering.

Naruto nodded and clearing his throat began "I just returned to my lady's side after visiting one of the leaders among the cadet branch army. What I have to say may be uncomfortable to many gathered here and particularly to the nobles we are yet to convince, but nonetheless is the truth we will have to work with if we truly desire peace with the Cadet branch. Their demands are few but nonnegotiable"

Naruto proceeded to explain the few but stern demands from Neji and his followers, several of the nobles seemed outraged but at the grim possibility of war agreed that change was needed. Other nobles welcomed the ideas of reform since some of them were expecting their second children and to be honest they didn't wanted to part with them.

Reaching a consensus the small gathering of nobles made the pact to follow this course of action to its last consequences and proceeded to enjoy the humble but satisfying dinner prepared for them.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Bidding farewell to the several guests and convincing an almost crying Kiba that she was still a virgin, Hinata retired for the night. The first steps have been taken and now, only time and the dedicated effort of those wanting peace would dictate if the Hyuuga could break the chains of hatred or drown in blood.

She sighed long and loudly as she made way for her room where her untouched bed awaited her return to grant her a peaceful sleep. She recognized the courage it had taken to do and propose all those things but still the hardest tests were yet to come.

Hinata suddenly felt weak from all the pressure the entire situation had placed on her young shoulders and so she had to lean on the wall as she tried to regain her strength. Before she plummeted to the ground, a couple of strong hands picked her up bridal style and got her close to someone's chest.

Hinata looked up in surprise to see her daring helper only to be received by a kind smiling Naruto "You have done enough for the day Hinata. Where is your room?" asked Naruto in a low tone as he secured her in his arms.

Hinata was too tired to blush madly so she only acquired a feint rosy color on her cheeks. At the same time she couldn't feel anything else but joy from having him close. Ever since he got in her life, she once was a shy lousy excuse of a princess, but now she had the chance to prove herself worthy of her mighty ancestors but especially from her loving mother who once advocated for the reforms the family needed.

Naruto had truly opened her eyes and now she could make something of her life besides being manipulated.

Hinata indicated Naruto the way to her room as she found herself more and more comfortable in his arms. After a while he reached her room only to find Hinata already asleep in his arms, smiling over the little drool line he proceeded to tuck her in her bed and as he left he heard Hinata say "Please don't fight…please don't kill us"

Naruto felt saddened that the princess's thoughts were filled with such things so going back to her he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and replied silently "I won't let them, so rest easy princess. We are almost done"

With a sigh Hinata smiled and turned looking relieved.

Naruto feeling more content silently stepped out of the room and headed back to the banquet hall, as he walked back a small body crashed into him and pushed him against a wall. Surprised, Naruto casted his look down at his unexpected attacker.

A couple of menacing Hyuuga eyes looked back at his with a chilling fury within, Hanabi Hyuuga had him pinned against the wall while a glowing hand stood menacingly close to his throat.

"You, you, you…got my sister into this mess don't you?" hissed the slender but strong Hanabi Hyuuga as her glowing hand closed the distance with Naruto's throat.

Naruto obviously surprised and with little space replied carefully "W-what are you talking about? What mess?"

"The whole thing of taking over power and confronting Neji! That mess! She could end up hurt or worse! How dare you put my sister in such danger?" screamed Hanabi with a few tears starting to roll down.

Naruto sighed understanding the youngster's dilemma calmly replied "I did nothing but show your sister the current state of her family. From that point forward everything that has happened so far along with every decision, it all has been on her free will. Her actions are motivated by her sense of responsibility for having neglected her role in the clan for so long"

Taking advantage of Hanabi's hesitation Naruto took both her hands and getting really close to her face he said in all seriousness "But above all that she is doing this out of love for everyone among the Hyuuga. She is willing to risk everything to save her clan from itself"

Hanabi surprised replied "But what if she gets hurt? What if she…"

Naruto once again interrupted her "I promise I won't let it come to that, one way or another I will fulfill her desire and keep her safe. I am a Sage, I can do it! Believe in me!"

Hanabi's glowing hand dimmed and became normal once more as her desire to hurt the Sage waned and feeling somewhat embarrassed for her behavior, stepped back.

"You know? She is the only one who has ever been kind to me. I am told to be some sort of a tom boy and I am always getting in trouble for my rebellious behavior. I know I am the one, who is going to be sent to the Branch family despite my strength, but even though my fate is unkind my big sister is always going to love me and recognize me as her little sister, and for that I would become her shield for the rest of my life" said a whispering Hanabi.

Naruto tried to reach for her but Hanabi stepped aside "But now she looks so different, so strong and unyielding. I fear she will no longer need me. So as a last act of service, Lord Sage, tells me what can I do so that my sister's wishes become true?"

"I don't think Hinata is the kind to leave people behind. She is a very loving person and her actions only reflect upon this. But there is one thing you could do for me" said Naruto

Hanabi looked up with hopeful eyes and awaited for the Sage's request

"Tell me Hanabi, what you know about the elders?" asked Naruto with a cold light in his eyes.

A light that made Hanabi shudder and from which Naruto seemed oblivious.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Lavenders are flowers of soothing scent and gentle color. A whole garden full of them attempted to give solace to a wandering soul that has been lost for a long time.

Hiashi Hyuuga, once a man of renown and legend in the Land of Fire has been drifting away from reality since the untimely and unfair departure of his beloved wife Hitomi and brave brother Hizashi.

As a ninja he had seen death from an early age and was conscious of its inevitability, and being an elite soldier of his clan has imparted it very often.

Still, ten years ago when the war was nearing its end and peace was about to become a rather new reality in Fire, his wife and his brother were murdered almost simultaneously. The thought of it seemed so ridiculous that at first he thought he had heard wrong but when the tears of the branch messenger poured down his face, he knew that it was the sad reality so many families have had to accept over the course of the war.

Hiashi always knew his brother was the stronger of the two twins and that a cruel joke of fate had made him be born first. The idea that he was ambushed and killed sounded ridiculous but the report of his demise spoke that he was completely defeated and apparently by a single assailant.

And then his wife killed by angry mercenaries left jobless after the peace treaty. Her bodyguards were among the best warriors of the main house and still they were obliterated, the only counsel was that Hitomi have had her throat slid open and nothing else done to her.

He always imagined that he would finally enjoy the peace so many have died for with his family and grow old watching his daughters become the heirs of a peaceful world where the clan would be remade.

But those things became ashes along with his loved ones and once he finished the affairs with the once warring nations of Fire he withdrew to Truesight where he appreciated the help offered by the council as he became increasingly lacking in his duties as leader.

Eventually and without noticing it he started to visit his wife's lavender garden more often as the scent allowed him to maintain the smiling faces of his wife and brother ever present.

And with these events the once great leader of the Hyuuga was reduced to a husk indifferent to the rest of the world and those who needed him desperately.

Now Hinata Hyuuga dressed in a deep purple kimono that once belonged to her mother walked the vacant hallways that lead to the solitary garden where her father spent his days. As a small girl she only mustered the courage to see her father while Hitomi held her hand, years later when Hanabi pushed her to it and now with the fate of her clan in the balance she had to overcome the rather imposing mental image of her father.

As she moved closer the familiar scent of the garden filled her with old memories of better times but shedding them she opened the sliding door that gave access.

To her surprise the garden was largely neglected, the grass was way taller than that of the houses' other gardens. The stones that once neatly delimited the different patches of flowers couldn't be seen because of the over flowing nature. The lavender flowers were very big and now made for the only visible flora of the place making the scent almost too strong to be enjoyable.

Looking around she finally spotted the crouching figure of her father, at first she gave a small step backwards but focusing her sight she noticed something odd.

The man looked so small comparing it to her memories; he also sported several white lines along his barely combed hair. His tanned skin was wrinkled around his eyes and it showed how much he spent under the sun with no cover at all.

Gulping down her fears she stepped onto the grass and with some effort started to walk slowly towards Hiashi. Hiashi on his side cringed a bit over the noise and just focused even more on the largest Lavender of the garden.

"Excuse me honorable father" said Hinata in a low voice as she approached him from the left.

Hiashi cringed a bit and obviously annoyed by the interruption slowly turned to meet his unwanted visitor only to be dazzled by the image in front of him. For a brief instant he could have sworn it was Hitomi who had finally acknowledged the many summonses he have sent her way but as she approached the slightly rounder face managed to remind him of Hinata before he addressed her incorrectly.

"Oh, Hinata you are back so soon? I expected my eldest daughter to last longer in her training" said Hiashi making Hinata a bit confused.

"Honorable Father, this is my first time at home in three years, I just returned yesterday. I wanted to pay my respects and speak with you for there are many things we need to discuss" replied Hinata as she gracefully knelt at a comfortable distance from Hiashi.

Hiashi blinked several times trying to figure Hinata's words, since for him Hinata have only been away three months but closer inspection did confirmed that Hinata was almost a grown woman with a strong resemblance to his Hitomi.

Shaking his head slightly Hiashi turned around to directly address his daughter "And what things do you need to talk with me? Is it that you want to return to your teammates? Hasn't the council explained enough times why you have to undergo this new training?"

Hinata wasn't surprised by his words since Hanabi warned her about Hiashi's poor grasp of the current events and so she needed to glide through his father's delusions. Still she wanted to see if her father could still regain enough of himself to attend a desperate call.

"Father, I wanted to discuss the desperate state of our clan. As we speak our clan is headed to civil war, this means the end of our clan's existence. We need you step up and settle things before it's too late" explained Hinata shortly but sternly.

Hiashi blinked once again barely understanding what his daughter was saying. Civil war? Clan's destruction? Madness he thought.

"Don't be such a fool Hinata! The clan is strong, our traditions ancient and the council has…" said Hiashi but Hinata interrupted him.

"Father! When was the last time you stepped out from this house? When was the last time you visited the Clan's reaches? When was the last time you received a foreign dignitary or attended your own people's demands? Instead you decided to leave everything in hands of the council and consciously remain ignorant of your once glorious nation's current situation" exclaimed Hinata looking straight into her father's eyes with a piercing glance.

Hiashi's anger rose but quickly faded when confronted in such manner with such unflinching conviction and pearly white eyes. These brought once more memories of Hitomi when she became outspoken for the rights of the branch family.

Not hearing a response Hinata continued "Father, your decision of leaving the ruling to the council has brought confusion and oppression to our clan; they have been very cruel to the cadet branch and the clan less warriors. As we speak Neji is mobilizing his followers to set our lands afire if his demands are not met. Their situation has grown so desperate that they are willing to destroy everything. Please Father, stop the council and help us reconcile it's not too late" finished saying while slowly bowing to the ground.

Before she reached the ground Hiashi stopped her placing his now unnourished hand on her shoulder "Daughter, you have to listen to the voice of experience I am certain that with moderation the elders can bring this exaggerated issue to a satisfying conclusion. Have more faith in them for their voices have been our guide for countless generations, I am certain they will be able to talk young Neji from his deplorable rant and accept his honorable role within the family"

For a moment Hinata had thought that her father was about to finally open his eyes but that possibility faded quickly hearing this response. Hanabi had warned her about his father's brief moments of actual lucidity but his denial for the clan's affairs seemed almost unnatural.

Sighing, Hinata reached for the letter she had tucked into the kimono's sleeve and extending it in front of her father she spoke in a formal voice "Then Father, I request you acknowledge my claim to take the position of clan leader, all I need is your personal seal on this letter to be submitted to the council and the gathering of nobles"

Hiashi once again blinked and it sheer outrage responded "What's the meaning of this? How dare you daughter! You are barely an adult and lack the necessary experience and wisdom to command! Be patient, your time will come!"

Hinata once again sighed and silently cursed for what she was being forced to do. Taking a hair pin made of amethyst in the shape of a small lavender flower, she proceeded to place it on her head and arranging her hair like that of her late mother. Clearing her throat and recalling her mother's voice from gentler memories she started once again as Hiashi rubbed his eyes not believing the sudden transformation.

"Dear, please sign these papers. It is time we rest, I am certain we can lay our trust unto Hinata and Neji to lead the clan" said Hinata in a deeper but soft tone.

Hiashi still a bit confused over the past exchanges "What are you talking about Hitomi? Rest? Give leadership to Hinata and Neji?"

Hinata stood and sat right next to Hiashi handing him the seal and an ink pad "Yes my dear, we are no longer so young and I think we deserve a rest, after all there is no more war and I really wish to spend more time with my husband. Let the children become adults and have their own mistakes and victories. Besides I feel like I want to be spoiled for a chance"

Hiashi laughed while some tears rolled down his face "You are right, just look at me! All wrinkled and old, I definitely deserve a rest; I owe Hizashi a game of chess and to be honest those gatherings with the council where starting to tire the hell out of me! I think Hinata is ready"

And so Hiashi proceeded to stamp his seal on the paper without even reading its contents. Hinata briefly examined the document to make certain there were no mistakes and feeling content she folded it and tucked into her sleeve.

"Thanks my dear, I will make certain the letter gets to the council for the formalities to be taken care of. Wait a bit and I will return to your side with some green tea" replied Hinata feeling sick of lying to her father.

"You know? I believe Hinata will be a great leader for the Hyuuga" said Hiashi making Hinata stop dead in her tracks.

"She is very kind and compassionate, smart and humble. I push her so she can bring forth that bit of confidence a leader needs. But what will make her even greater than me is that she is a child of peace and so she will fight to sustain it. She won't fight for land or petty grudges; she will fight to keep this world I fought so hard to bring and that already makes her far greater than me. Hanabi and Neji will stand by her side and I am certain they will make a brighter future. If she is ready to take leadership then I can feel no other thing but pride" finished saying Hiashi.

"I will wait my love, hurry with that tea though suddenly I feel somewhat thirsty" said Hiashi as he unconsciously returned to stare at the flowers.

Hinata nodded and tripping she hurried into the house shutting the door behind and putting distance between her and the garden she fell to her knees while clasping her mother's hair pin.

"I am sorry mom, I am so sorry!" wailed Hinata as she cried openly in the solitude of the hallway.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"What's the meaning of this?" loudly exclaimed an elder as a noble representative dropped the tenth formal claim for the change of leadership.

The whole morning has been and endless parade of envoys requesting Hiashi's retirement and replacement by Hinata, in order to reach a more comfortable deal with the cadet branch.

The council got really nervous when a young but powerful noble went himself before them and ask for the change in leadership. Not to mention that the slight comment of them overstepping their roles wouldn't go unnoticed by the other powerful nobles.

"Hashi! What do we do? Neji will arrive in a few days and now we have to deal with this dissention! If we stand divided how we are going to deal with the aftermath of Neji's fall? Another elder exclaimed.

Hashi on his side only sipped from his tea cup as if considering the possibilities. While in his mind a different thought was formed.

"Hmpf, this is better than I expected. Anyway, I need to keep these old fools on my side a little longer. I am still amazed that these cowards are the descendants of the first Hyuuga, they must be turning in their graves at this eyesore" thought Hashi with a barely visible grin.

"Do not be troubled brothers and sisters; this is but an expected reaction from Neji's movements. The nobles haven't seen Hiashi in a long time and it's only natural they don't feel well with a our leadership, all we need to do is personally speak with them and give them reassurance that once the negotiations are settled we will attend this delicate matter" finished saying Hashi.

Once again as if by a spell; the elders calmed down and shared in the drinks brought to them, already feeling content about their plan to ambush Neji and his companions.

Hashi feeling content went back to some administrative matters he needed to attend, but before he could start a clerk of the council made an announcement.

"My Lords and Ladies, Princess Hinata Hyuuga is here!" loudly proclaimed the clerk as he made way for the regally dressed Hinata to step in along her sister who wore more humble looking garments as her role of bodyguard suggested.

"What is this?" thought Hashi with honest and almost amused curiosity.

Bowing before the council and getting on her knees Hinata addressed the council full of determination "My Lords and Ladies of the Council of Elders. I step before you to inform of my claim for leadership of the Hyuuga!" said staring straight to the informal leader Hashi who in turn returned a chilling calm look.

Before any other elder could reply, Hinata displayed before them the official document with his father's seal acknowledging her claim and requesting the council's approval for a voting of the nobility.

Examining the document Hashi sighed loudly as if to emphasize their defeat causing every elder in the room to gasp and hold their breath.

"So it seems my Lady, we have been receiving several requests of change in the clan's leadership for a while now. And I believe it's in the clan's best interest to have a new leader to guide us into the new era that one way or another will come to be in the next few days" serenely said Hashi.

Hinata didn't know what to say, she had spent the whole morning bracing herself to face the collective wrath and outrage of the council. To have the unofficial leader of the elders complying with her wishes was against all expectations and to be honest left her without arguments.

"My Lady, with your permission I shall start the appropriate procedures for the voting to take place. After all it would be best to have a solid front to present for Neji and have a more civilized discussion about the clan's future" continued Hashi at Hinata's silence.

Hinata quickly recomposed herself and giving a cautious smile replied "Thank you elder Hashi for being so understanding of our clan's struggles and our current difficult situation with our kinsman. But you should know that Neji's demands include the immediate retirement of every elder in the council"

Hashi smiled knowing it was a bait to see a negative reaction from the council, but once more got ahead of any other elder

"That we have heard and to be honest I would welcome a rest of this boring administrative life. But a negotiation is a negotiation and until it is over nothing is decided my lady, after all what image would we be giving to our cousins if we bended so easily. It could invite the branch family to become exactly what they believe us to be, our duty to the clan is to make certain that acts of vengeance don't take place after the negotiations are over. If Neji compromises to a peaceful transformation of the clan, then I wouldn't have any objections in retiring" finished Hashi to still confused Hinata.

Hinata on her side remained very surprised for every word spoken by Hashi sounded so right and reasonable. Indeed her duty to the clan was a peaceful negotiation and to make certain that violence didn't take place afterwards.

She went through Hashi's words again but couldn't find any hidden message or motive in them. Apparently her strategy had paid off and the council was reeling back with grace, she was glad things were going smoothly and to find a reasonable voice among the elders.

"Then I ask of you to be swift about my positioning as clan leader since Neji must learn he will have to negotiate with me as well. I also ask for you all to back me up and to accept whatever agreement is reached" said Hinata while slowly looking at every elder.

Hashi cleared his throat and with a reassuring smile replied while bowing "Of course my Lady, we will have everything ready before the meeting"

Content with her victory Hinata bowed slightly and escorted by Hanabi proceeded to leave the council chamber.

With a knowing smile Hashi expected for the pandemonium to explode around him.

"What the hell! Hashi, how can you condone this? This will undermine our efforts and the ambush we have devised!" said the elder next to Hashi.

"Worry not my friends for this works for our purpose. You see, Neji still believes our surprisingly brave princess Hinata to be a shy weak person, and so he will come before us confident of his victory; making our plan all the more easy to execute. The nobles will rally behind the princess and if any fault is to fall, it will be on her" said Hashi while observing his fellow elders.

"Not to sound pessimistic, but what if Neji somehow manage to escape? Won't that be bad? I mean we are staging the clan's future on this ambush and the seal" said one of the most silent elders.

Hashi directed him a harsh look and replied "Worry not brother, our plan is sound and our chances have only improved with Hinata's claim. Remember we are doing this for the clan! To keep our ancient traditions which have made of our clan one of the great powers in Fire! Where would we be without them? Trust that this is the best course; trust yourselves for this will be the last battle we wage for the Hyuuga. And even if that comes to be, remember we have still a trump card"

The elder shut down feeling embarrassed while the other seemed inspired by Hashi's short speech.

"Brother Hashi, there is another detail. Will our ambush work in presence of lady Hinata? I don't think she will want to be part of it at any rate" said another elder earning nods from the others.

Hashi laughed and said "Lady Hinata doesn't know we will move the time of the meeting one hour earlier. We just need to be discreet about it. Now let us enjoy our meal for victory is assured!"

With this the rest of the elders had a weight lifted from their heavy consciences and with confidence kept eating their dinner. No one caught the icy stare in Hashi's eyes.

**Done!**

**Wow it took me forever to update this and to be honest I feel this chapter was rather shorter than I first intended but I thought you needed an update before January ends.**

**The next chapter will be the conclusion of the Hyuuga arc and I already began work on it though it may take some time since I need to update my side project as well.**

**The main reason for the late update is that sadly the economic crisis finally got to me and my contract wasn't renewed so I am out of employment and that got me in the slums for a long time. Slowly but certainly I am regaining my will to write so keep up with me for the time being.**

**I also found myself with ideas for new stories I think people will enjoy but I don't have the time to write, so tell me if you would like to see them in a pilot chapter.**

**Read, enjoy and review!**


	24. A Gentle Fist

**Chapter 23: A Gentle Fist**

"I can't believe they actually made my cousin the new clan leader. What's next the four great clans of Fire unite?" Neji thought with a smirk as he, Lee and Ten-ten made their way on horseback towards Truesight for their fated meeting with the new leader and the council.

This was the last chance for peace to survive among the Hyuuga before Neji declared the unilateral secession of the North and the West from the rest of the clan and expectedly began a civil war.

Neji was confident that since the main branch was to lose more than the cadet branch they would buckle and cede in his demands for reform and justice. Though the latest reports of enemy deployment made him take drastic changes in his own carefully designed deployment of forces forcing him to concentrate his army into stronger spearheads instead of several medium size units that could quickly advance into the main branch lands.

If war came to be, it would now be a brief one with major engagements taking place very quickly with a high probability of large casualties in both sides.

"Still they won't be able to stop us" thought Neji as he steeled his resolve about the possibilities ahead of him.

"Say Ten-Ten, you think that Lady Hinata's ascension was possible because of the Sage?" Lee asked.

"Can't say but this is good news to us, it means that the Council may concede our demands, after all they stand to lose much more than any of us. Not to mention their armies don't hold a candle against us" said Ten-Ten trying to reassure the other two, particularly Lee who for some reason seemed less youthful from a week ago and still refused to speak about it.

"Don't take your hopes high Ten-Ten, this is Hinata we are speaking. With or without the Sage's help the council may be using her to fool us into overconfidence, remember their redeployment to strengthen their main holds forcing us change tactics. That was uncharacteristically cunning from them so it is to my guess that they are not expecting a peaceful resolution to this" said Neji with a commanding tone.

"Then why are we going to meet them if all this is a delaying tactic" asked Ten-Ten.

"I gave my word and there is still a remote possibility that we may come out of this unscathed. If they truly joined behind Hinata then they must be having internal divisions that demanded my uncle's replacement. Whether Hinata is just a facial replacement or a desperate choice to show good will is yet to be seen" answered Neji.

"And if she truly is the leader and engages in negotiations?" Lee asked with some strange hopeful tone.

"Then I will wear one of your green jumpsuits and run off into the sunset" replied Neji clearly showing his lack of faith in such possibility.

"You will?" hopefully asked Lee with stars in his eyes forgetting his previous humor.

Ten-Ten on her side sighed at the rather comic scene but more relieved by the change in Lee's behavior. For some reason it really bothered her no to see Lee in his usual attitude, it felt like a bad omen.

"Well we are here" said Neji drawing his teammates attention as a small group of elite guards in ornate armor came to meet them as they agreed before with the council.

"Greetings honored warriors. We come in the name of Lady Hinata Hyuuga to escort you to the capital as agreed" said the leader as he bowed deeply without showing any particular emotion.

"Well trained" thought Neji as he expected some disgust from the guard.

"We are thankful, please lead the way" said Ten-Ten civilly knowing that Neji's patience was short when it came to the main branch.

"I am sorry but the Council thought it would be best if we made haste for the meeting since they expect it to last many hours. And it is for the clan's best interest to resolve our differences swiftly" said the guard showing some fear this time.

Ten-Ten found this a bit odd but seeing all the incredible changes of the past days dismissed the thought altogether trusting that things were going so far in their favor.

"Fine, I don't' want to spend more time in Truesight than it's necessary" replied Neji as he quickly followed the guards who had begun to speed on their horses in Truesight's direction.

Lee and Ten-Ten quickly followed.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Hinata was eating the breakfast Hanabi had brought as she still considered the many possibilities the negotiations would spark that day. For the past days before the meeting Hinata had been formally made leader of the clan and every noble family had already presented their oaths of loyalty as well as many gifts for her ascension.

Along with their oaths they had also made clear that though they would be loyal to her they expected her to defend their interests as well since they were reasonably scared of potential acts of vengeance by members of the cadet branch.

She had already decided to cede in many of the cadet branch's demands but she was compelled to protect the lives of the Main Branch who would be in the receiving end of the cadet's wrath once the society was leveled.

Her ascension ceremony was perhaps the most humble and brief recorded in history with the lack of many nobles who were tending to their duties at the army and the icy glares of the servants.

Still Naruto stood by her side at all times and it pleased him that he was so participative by asking so many questions about the inner politics and the roll of the Council within the clan.

As she finished her breakfast already Hanabi had selected one her mother's kimonos for her to wear at the meeting. It was a white one with golden lines and flowers. Exactly the same one her mother had used after the signing of peace among the powers of Fire, hopefully it would see another joyous moment for the Hyuuga today.

"Remember the meeting will take place an hour after midday, at the Council's chambers. The elders have already sent honor guards to meet Neji and bring him back to the city" said Hanabi while helping Hinata into the kimono.

"Sigh, I only hope Neji is willing to compromise for peace and avoid acts of vengeance" said Hinata while arranging her hair.

"We can only hope sis, after all he and his friends have been terribly wronged. Not to mention how many of the cadet branch is with Neji only for revenge" replied Hanabi.

"How could the Council allow the clan to get this bad?" wondered Hinata.

"Maybe they grew too used to the ways of before peace" said Tsume as she entered the room with several scrolls under her arm.

"More oaths of loyalty and several requests to be revised at the meeting" added Tsume as she drops them at the table.

"Look at you! No longer a princess but a queen! Your mother would be proud to see you fulfilling her last wishes to see the clan truly united at last" said Tsume with soft eyes as she admired the regally dressed Hinata.

"Let's hope it lasts beyond today" said Hinata while not acknowledging Tsume's compliment.

"It shall, I gave you my word after all" said Naruto while entering the room "I think we should go to the Council and have them get ready before Neji arrives, we don't want them thinking ahead of themselves" finished saying an stern looking Naruto making everyone in the room a bit chilly at the look in his eyes.

Naruto did wanted things to go smoothly but if things got out hand then he would have to settle things by slaying the entire Council and though the elders were once great ninjas, he was a Sage and in Sage mode few things could go head to head with him.

Nodding Hinata agreed and together started walking towards the Council chambers just outside of the family's palace.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Neji had noticed with no small amount of satisfaction the silence and loneliness of Truesight at his entrance which tasted already of victory "At last things will be as you wished them to be father. So many wrongs will be righted today and that council of idiots will be shown their place!"

Ten-Ten on her side looked around carefully at the many guards making a wall to stop anyone from approaching the trio. She directed some smiles to the few servants and cadet branch members that bravely went to see their saviors parade through the city; to these particular people Ten-Ten sent courteous nods which were reciprocated.

Lee on his side went even more silent as he kept his head low.

Confidently Neji turned to look at Lee "What's wrong Lee, even I consider this day to be particularly youthful. Today is a day of victory and justice!"

Lee looked up and smiled "Very true my friend but as Gai sensei always taught, we shouldn't let our guards low only because everything have gone accordingly"

Neji turned front again and said "Certainly, just a little longer and this will be over"

Ten-Ten on the other side dismissed her uneasy feelings as just nervousness of finally being so close to their goal.

**Ten minutes later**

The trio had left their horses at the care of several servants who immediately brought water and brushes to tend to them.

The guard quickly led them to the stairs climbing to the Council chambers, an ancient building made of stone foundation and richly colored wooden pillars with bright gold and silver engravings depicting the noble houses of Hyuuga and the banners of the clan.

Neji still remembered when the chambers still depicted the names of the heroes born into the cadet branch, but the Council had decided to removed them and use the gold and silver to make new fine silverware! Such insult! But today things change; yes they will change a lot.

Triumphantly the trio walked the way towards the Council chambers seating atop the grand building from which you could see the entire city of Truesight and according to legend the first Hyuuga could see the entire territory with their Byakugan.

Servants with hollow stares opened and closed the gates to the chambers where three elegant seats were already positioned for them.

Around these seats the Council of elders were already seating in perfect postures with black robes and all sporting grim and serious looks. At the center in front was an empty space reserved for the clan leader, but at the time Hinata was yet to make her appearance.

Neji sent a victorious look to every elder and finally asked "Where is Hinata? I thought she was the clan leader? Or did she got too scared to come here?" said Neji as he loudly drop to a very average seating position while his armor clanked around loudly not caring for the dignity of the chamber.

The elders gave small hints of disapproval at Neji's cocky behavior but all things considered their plan was moving along, they would have time to mock him.

Ten-Ten and Lee finished surveying the chamber and content with their inspection also took their seat albeit more respectfully.

Hashi slightly bowed before Neji and said "I am very sorry honorable Neji, but Lady Hinata is a bit late. She has been attending to oaths of loyalty from the nobility and I am afraid it will take her just a few moments to join us. Our hastiness certainly made things a bit difficult to get started but we are confident it will be the only hindrance in today's activities"

Neji nodded "Don't worry, I am used to my cousin's screw ups. We shall wait"

Neji a felt particular hatred for Hashi Hyuuga for he was the one informed him of his father's demise with an ample smile on his face. He was also the one who instigated every abuse committed by the Council in the past years and the one who supposedly planned the Kunoichi special training. This was a man he would kill himself in the aftermath of the negotiations whatever the outcome.

"I was more in the line of outlying your proposals Neji, after all it would give us time to consider them as to better guide Lady Hinata; she is after all a rookie in estate matters" said Hashi with a calm smile which only irked Neji further.

"You already know them; I have been making proclamations all this time and sent you letters in countless occasions. I won't waste my breath retelling them until Hinata arrives" said Neji quickly losing his cool.

"Such a shame you wouldn't humor me, Neji" at this words several of the elders went through a small series of hand signs and quickly slamming their hands on the floor several symbols surrounded the three revolutionaries.

Instantly the ground shattered becoming quick sand which made the three to sink to their knees as they stood up at the sudden betrayal.

As the trio tried to respond to the new situation the elders closed their eyes as one of them performed a Fire juts that created a powerful shining white flame that effectively blinded their guests.

Once the trio was blinded and hindered from moving the elders threw steel chains around them to finally restrain them and use Juuken to render them unable to keep fighting as to apply the Bird Cage seal on them and bring them into submission.

But right before the chains tensed around them Ten-Ten threw her own chained kunai to the ceiling where it coiled around one of the support beams and tensed quickly, after wards she whistled calling the attention of her two teammates who instinctively extended their arms in her direction.

At this Ten-Ten pulled really hard getting her out of the quicksand and with her other arm threw two smaller chains which landed on Neji and Lee's hands that in turn used them to pull themselves out of their quicksand.

Once on the ceiling Ten-Ten immediately dropped several smoke bombs in a dispersed pattern quickly filling the chambers with purple smoke, sinking the elders into confusion as they activated their Byakugan to find them.

Neji and Lee quickly recovered their eyesight as Ten-Ten was already preparing their escape route

"Those bastards! Lee with me! We must buy time for Ten-Ten!" yelled Neji as he jumped into the thick smoke already his Byakugan activated with large bulgy veins popping at the side of his eyes.

Lee didn't say anything and just followed Neji leaving Ten-Ten to make the preparations for a hasty escape.

Neji landed and thanks to his Byakugan noticed that three elders were within his range. Grinning he stroke them with powerful palm strikes while shouting Sixty four palms. After he crossed them the three elders dropped dead to the ground as Neji hit them with astounding fury.

Knowing that Lee would have a hard time in this environment, Neji rotated powerfully and using his chakra dispersed the smoke around them revealing everyone in the room. Which were now locked in a standoff as the elders outnumbered them ten to one.

Hashi had remained seated all the time and taking the chance to speak, he stared directly into Lee's eyes.

"Lee if you would please" said Hashi while walking straight towards the fighting duo.

Neji tried to turn to look at Lee but Lee had already taken the chance to grab his arm and twist it behind his back.

"What are you doing Lee!" said Neji while trying to get free from his iron grip.

"Forgive me Neji" whispered Lee as he strengthens his grip on Neji.

"Don't feel betrayed Neji, Lee isn't doing this out of simple treason but rather love. Love for his captive sensei that is" said Hashi as walked undaunted by the situation.

"Wasn't he dead?" screamed Neji while still struggling

"It certainly takes a lot to kill the green beast of the south. So we just made him comfortable in one of our most secure and secretive holding cells" said Hashi as he continued his victorious march as Lee kept Neji unable to act.

"Ten-Ten on her side was shocked beyond belief by Lee's actions but her duty to make a escape route took priority. For the rebellion needed at least one of its leaders to guide it down the path of destruction the Council had doomed the entire clan to.

"We only contacted your comrade here a few days ago with some undeniable evidence of his sensei's continued existence among us. So please don't be angry at him for he has been your truthful companion until a few days ago" mockingly said Hashi as he stopped right in front of the still struggling Neji who despite his best efforts couldn't break Lee's hold of him.

Hashi raised his hand with a couple of fingers already tainted in some green oil and as he moved towards Neji's forehead they started to glow.

Just at the last moment when Neji finally thought with despair that he was not going to make it through he was quickly shoved aside by a now highly energized Lee who had opened several of the Chakra gates.

As he felled, Neji could look how Lee delivered a deadly barrage of kicks and punches in quick succession to a clearly surprised Hashi who could do little to defend himself from the relentless attack.

Finishing his barrage, Lee reared back his fist and with loud shout stroke Hashi dead center on the chest sending a seemingly dead Hashi to the bottom of the chambers.

Neji just blinked once before he got back to his feet directing his sight towards Ten-Ten who nodded back to him.

"Now!" Screamed Neji as he and a now normal Lee ran towards the door dodging the remaining elders, who still attempted to strike them down. As the neared the door, Ten-Ten threw from one of the beams two explosive kunai that blew it apart.

At that instant the roof of the chambers exploded upwards sending multiple red fireworks into the skies above Truesight.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

As Hinata, Naruto and Tsume made way to the chambers, two loud simultaneous explosions roared from the Council chambers. At this the honor guard immediately surrounded Hinata in a defensive shield of armor and Juuken.

Hinata barely registered the following moments as three armored figures jumped out of the smoke coming from the Council front doors and quickly descended the stairs striking down guards and dodging them as they made their way down as quickly as possible.

Naruto was about to face the trio but several loud explosion across the city stopped him forcing him to stay put guarding Hinata.

Finally Neji and his companions landed in front of Hinata and her escorts leaving a trail of fallen guards behind them. As Neji's eyes registered the form of his cousin he narrowed them at her with the most intense hatred.

"I should have known that your intentions were nothing but lies! You are still the same pathetic unwilled girl you always were! Fine! If this is what you want then all of Hyuuga shall burn!" screamed Neji while tears of fury attempted to leave his eyes.

Before Hinata recovered her speech, Ten-Ten dropped a smoke bomb followed by several explosive kunai making a loud and dangerous cover for their escape.

The smoke allowed for the trio to escape avoiding the royal guard and the Sage and they quickly secured their horses back.

Hinata managed to catch a glimpse of their retreating backs as more explosions took place across Truesight lifting a black cloud among the rising sound of alarm bells and some noises of battle taking place.

Hinata was left in a state of shock as sound was muffled and color faded, she turned to see at her friends and unlike her, they were already screaming. She couldn't make sense of what they were saying.

Tsume was screaming orders at a royal guard while Naruto was saying something to Hanabi.

Finally remembering the words last uttered by Neji, she calmed down and regained her senses.

"Everyone, to the Council chambers! Captain, send guards to the city and vacate the entire grounds if you have to! Try to spare as many lives as you can and put the fires out!" said Hinata regaining her confidence.

The captain saluted and quickly departed to carry on as Hinata being escorted by two honor guards, Naruto, Tsume and Hanabi hastily made their way the top of the stairs towards the smoking Council chambers.

"Damn it! I was too late! I should have acted sooner! I should have known they wouldn't respect Hinata's position! How am I supposed to save them if things are already in motion?" Furiously thought Naruto as he quickly climbed the stairs.

At the top Naruto was more than ready to finish the elders but Hinata stood in front of him almost as if she could sense his intentions.

Hinata turned around relieved that Naruto stood down giving her way to act. She walked into the chambers and in clear commanding voice said "Elders! Whoever is still alive step up immediately! Your leader demands it!"

From behind the columns stepped out several elders dragging the bodies of those fell by Neji, at the bottom two elders were tending to a still living Hashi who miraculously survived the enraged Lee's attack.

Seeing the ailing Hashi, Hinata walked straight to him as she ignored the pleas of the other elders

"What happened?" said Hinata in a stern tone.

Before any elder would dare to speak, surprisingly Hashi stood back to his feet and stumbling managed to bow before Hinata "My Lady, we tried to save the clan by subduing the rebels. We thought that by cutting the head the rebels would fold back and accept you as the supreme leader of the Hyuuga. I am sorry but even the best planning can fail"

Hinata slapped him sending him back to the ground and once again in authoritative tone she said "Every elder kneel before me"

Her tone took every elder by surprise but not knowing better complied and knelt before their leader.

"Why wasn't this course of action discussed with me? Am I not your elected leader? AM I not the one who makes the final decision? When did I ever hint you to try to kill Neji?" said Hinata.

Hashi once more spoke first "My biggest pardons my Lady but we only did what we thought was best for the clan. We have stood strong and defiant in the face of Fire's great powers because of our traditions, to allow an upstart like Neji to destroy them would jeopardize the future of the clan. We know of your ideas but to force change under such circumstances it's dangerous, please understand that our intentions were always good"

"Good you say? Treating our own family as slaves or bodies to throw at battle is good to the clan? I see now that change has been delayed far too long. You will all remain here no longer as elders since I am dissolving this body of the Hyuuga forever, but as prisoners awaiting your executions" said Hinata with a chilling calm that came very off from her and reminded Hanabi of Hiashi's days of lucidity.

Every elder gasped and screamed demands of outrage and Hinata overstepping her authority and that she is not the real leader.

But upon activating her Byakugan everyone shut up "I see you for what you are; a bunch of quivering cowards too scared to face your own crimes. With these eyes I see every one of your faults and everyone one of your crimes. You stopped deserving the name Hyuuga a long time ago. My command is law and your fates are sealed. Make peace with your consciousness's for by the moment this whole thing is over you shall all be in nameless graves as traitors deserve" finished saying Hinata as she deactivated her Byakugan and began walking towards her companions leaving the elders stunned behind.

"Hashi! What are we going to do?" screamed one of the elder at Hashi.

Hashi laughed and replied "You heard her, we lost and now we will die. Our fate is sealed, whatever happens to the clan now is no longer our concern for we are dead" said Hashi as he dropped to the ground where he fell asleep clearly tired from his injuries.

The other elders were even more shocked that their leader gave up so easily and in despair began to wail for mercy and screaming in frustration.

Hinata on her side reached her companions further ignoring the elders "Captain, these idiots are to be placed under arrest within the chamber. Put a heavy vigilance and if any tries to escape kill it on the spot"

The captain stuttered a "Yes my Lady!"As he ran off to get more guards.

Hinata then declared addressing her trusted companions "Everyone; I thank you all for your courage and support, but as you can see the worst have come to pass. Neji won't hear any more summonses for negotiations and so our path is war against our own kinsmen. Shame is now upon all of the Hyuuga for we head towards the end of our clan not in defense of our nation but in the hatred we seeded across generations"

Her words sunk deep into every one of her friends as now they knew that the future didn't hold any more hopes. Whatever path this conflict took it will be only a matter of time before the Uchiha or the Sarutobi march upon them without resistance.

Tsume nodded gravely for now she was headed back to war but worst was that her son was going to experience it in a civil one.

Naruto on his side experienced a surge of fury and helplessness he hadn't felt in while. A lot of people were going to die needlessly in the worst tragedy so far. He had promised Hinata that he would save them but in the end he failed again. Luck has been his consort so far and the deaths have been kept to a minimum around him but now…

Feeling the anger rising once again he turned back at the Council chambers with blood in his eyes **"They did this! I'll make them pay! I'll make them suffer for each and every dead they will bring to their own family"** darkly thought Naruto as he had unconsciously started to walk in their direction.

As he made his way a soft warm hand lightly latched his making him turn still charged with fury and anger

Before him was a sad looking Hinata whose eyes had no anger or fury but an immense sadness "Don't, there is no need for your hands to stain with them. They are meant to bring peace not vengeance. Come Naruto, let's see this to the end, there is still hope we can end this with little sacrifice"

Naruto's anger was quickly replaced with shame as he nodded and grasped Hinata's hand completely as she led him away towards the palace.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"So what's the plan? Weather Neji's onslaught from the fortresses or facing him head on the field? Tsume said as she sat around the table with several noble heads and Shibi Aburame.

"That's a bad idea Tsume; Neji's forces outnumber us so he would only have to lay siege to the fortresses diverting raid parties to burn our fields. He would leave us without food before winter, forcing us to cede more territory" said Shibi

"We could try sending forces northwards threatening Neji's gains there. His hold over the north is still weak and so far is the less defended area" said a young noble.

"Won't work either; we can't deploy a large force without leaving the northeastern approach, Neji would use it to strike directly at Truesight" responded Hanabi as she reviewed the maps with the latest intelligence on enemy deployment.

"How about retreating further south? Neji wouldn't risk his forces going too far from his power base" said the oldest among the generals.

"Sorry but we can't agree to that" said Tsume while she and Shibi stood up "We are your loyal allies and we will fight this battle at your side but the south lands are ours by an ancient agreement between our clans. We won't risk our clans running out of food or space over a civil conflict among yours"

"I am sorry but I have to support Tsume on this. If it was a foreign invasion we would certainly agree but on an internal conflict we can't budge until you resolve it" finished saying Shibi as he and Tsume bowed in regret.

"Should we contact the Uchiha or the Sarutobi?" dared to ask one of the youngest nobles.

Everyone snorted awkward laughs until they realized the young man was speaking seriously

"Boy, the moment we make a single concession to any of those two it will be the moment our entire clan collapses. The Uchiha may have a new leader but it's an Uchiha none the less, they always want more than they can get their hands on, and the Sarutobi are in no shape to risk sending troops out of their lands. We have to solve this the best way we can and deal with them later" grimly said another elder.

Hinata finally cleared her throat drawing everyone's attention "Everyone, I thank you all for your advice and truthfulness in the face of imminent conflict. But as the leader I have decided already that the fastest way to end this conflict is by facing Neji directly"

"We will challenge his main army and see that this conflict ends in a single battle" finished saying Hinata.

The nobles immediately expressed their concerns and begged Hinata to reconsider her bold strategy.

"Thank you for your concern but I have decided that in the clan's best interest the conflict must be resolved quickly and with as few casualties as possible. Whatever the outcome I have already passed the reforms demanded by Neji so they are law from this moment onwards and you all must obey them" continued Hinata.

"But Neji wants more than reforms, he now seeks blood and vengeance. We must do everything in our power to stop him so that the clan can start healing its wounds" finished Hinata.

Every noble had indeed approved the reforms without question upon witnessing the disaster left by the cadet servant in Truesight after their terrorist attacks with several explosive tags. Hinata urged them that the cadet branch wouldn't settle with nothing less than each and every one of their demands. The clan was finally one but Neji didn't stopped and reports came that his forces were already on the move to assault the circular fortress of Daimon, named after the Clan leader who claimed sovereignty over the southern lands of Fire.

"We leave in the morning and may the ancestors find in their hearts forgiveness for our faults against our brothers and sisters of the cadet branch" said Hinata dismissing the assembly.

Hinata was the first to leave retiring for the hard march awaiting tomorrow as her personal guard assembled to accompany her to war and bolster the fortress's defense.

As she left Hinata was joined by Naruto who hadn't said a word throughout the assembly for he had promised to follow her into whatever path she deemed better.

"You didn't said anything" almost whispered Hinata as she and Naruto walked the hallway.

"What is there to say now? I failed and now your clan will face a civil war" shamefully replied Naruto.

"Perhaps it´s for the best" said Hinata making Naruto confused and somewhat freaked out.

"I mean, Neji and the cadet branch have been terribly wronged since childhood, its only normal they want this despite the destruction it will cause. They want to unleash their fury and few things will sway them contrary. Suddenly having their demands met won't be enough for many of them still want someone to pay" said Hinata as she led Naruto.

"But this war will be even more than just settling a grudge, it will destroy you all" replied Naruto following Hinata.

"Don't worry about that Naruto, I promise you that won't happen, so be at ease" said Hinata as she opened the door to her chambers.

For some reason Naruto couldn't be at peace though Hinata looked absolutely relaxed and confident. A dramatic change from when they first met he had to admit.

"Please come in Naruto I still need to ask something from you" said Hinata looking over her shoulder as the light of the moon came through a window framing her figure in light.

Naruto blushed at such rare picture and dumbly nodding entered as Hinata closed the door.

**LEMON ALERT! **

Taking advantage of Naruto's dazed estate Hinata led him to the edge of her now very large bed and as she began to undo her hair and remove the jewelry she began "You know Naruto? I haven´t thanked you yet for your efforts yet"

Breaking the trance he was into he replied shyly while averting his eyes "I didn't do anything, I failed, your clan is going to civil war and a lot of people will die"

Hinata smiled and reaching his face turned him to look at her "Very few have died so far but none because you failed. You opened my eyes and thus allowed me the chance to help my own people, without you I would be a holed up princess doing nothing and probably the war would have already began"

Drawing his face closer to hers she whispered "You gave us a chance, and that chance is not yet lost"

At that she kissed him tenderly yet clumsily on his lips taking him by surprise as they fell on the bed.

Naruto managed to pry her away a few inches and asked "W-What are you doing?" asked in panic remembering Tsume and Hana's threats.

"Be with me Naruto, just for tonight" said Hinata trying to continue her assault with a very red face.

Naruto was about to reply but noticed that Hinata was trembling while she pressed her assault on him. He understood now that she needed reassurance; she needed someone who could see her frail and scared, someone who could see her as the seventeen year old girl who had been placed in the eye of the storm with such short notice.

Feeling a bit responsible for his part in placing her in such situation he accepted her and began to return her kisses and affections with his own.

Soon enough both were kissing while caressing each other as tenderly as they could, but seeing that Hinata was new to this, Naruto took the lead and soon enough his hands started to undress her as he pleased her earning several moans and a few surprised yelps.

Hinata feeling left behind also started to remove Naruto's clothes earning a few growls that made her shiver with excitement.

Finally, Hinata was lying naked under an also naked Naruto; she was trying to cover her body realizing that this was the first man to ever see her nude.

"Don't do that, you are beautiful and have nothing to hide. Can I?" said Naruto as he remained hovering on her.

Blushing, Hinata nodded and removed her hand arms exposing herself completely to Naruto who immediately lowered his face to her breasts and began tending to them with soft strokes and kisses.

Hinata started to feel incredibly good and ashamed that such thing aroused her so much. Wanting to return the affections the best she could manage in this position was to caress Naruto's hair and back as he relentlessly fondled her breasts.

Naruto lowered himself even lower and began his ministrations on the panting Hinata as she had lost all strength to deny him her most precious part.

Hinata was now sweating and out of breath as she had been feeling even better than before as waves of pleasure constantly rocked her from head to toes mounting into something she couldn't understand as it was her first time.

"Hah, hah, Naruto, I-I something is going to happen" said Hinata while panting making Naruto stop and look up to her with a playful grin.

"Oh, Is Hina chan going to cum? We can´t have that now we? It's a very selfish thing to do on your own you know?" said Naruto while climbing over Hinata.

"Don't stop! Sorry, what can I do?" said Hinata while a bit angry that Naruto stopped so suddenly.

"Spread your legs a bit wider, now it's time both felt good" said Naruto while spreading Hinata's legs.

Hinata covered her face as she allowed Naruto to fall between her legs and position himself.

"Hinata, it's going to hurt a bit tell me if you want me to stop alright" whispered Naruto as Hinata felt him starting to push into her.

"It's alright" said Hinata while hugging Naruto close to her encouraging him to penetrate her slowly.

Hinata gritted her teeth as Naruto's rather long member made its way into her feeling her with new and painful sensations.

Naruto finally stopped entering and remained still waiting for Hinata to get used to the feeling.

"Is-Is that all" asked Hinata between breaths.

"No, this is where its gets better!" said Naruto while starting to move making Hinata squeal at the sudden moves but strangely the pain began to feel more pleasurable with every thrust.

With every long thrust Hinata moaned sweetly encouraging Naruto to bring out more from her, so he began to fondle her breasts, kiss her, and lick her and every other trick he learned over his previous encounters.

Hinata was now in a whirlwind of pleasure as the waves of pleasure rocked her harder and faster forcing her to arch her back while trying to scream only to find her voice without sound letting out gasps.

Finally the waves mounted into a single one crashing Tsunami that exploded when she felt something hot filling her insides unleashing a very loud scream of pleasure.

After a few moments of intensity Hinata dropped exhausted while Naruto dropped to her side much less tired watching the sweating woman recovering her breath.

"That was, that was incredible!" said Hinata as she panted heavily.

"Yes it was, it felt really good" said Naruto a bit disappointed since Hinata seemed done for and he still had several rounds in store.

Looking at his face Hinata knew that Naruto wasn't satisfied and so blushing she asked "Want to do it again?"

Blinking in surprise Naruto smiled with a very wicked smile as Hinata started to regret her decision.

**LEMON END!**

As Hinata and her royal guards abandoned the city the next morning, many wondered about Lady Hinata's funny way of riding her horse…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Are the troops ready to move? The faster we reach Daimon the faster we make a wedge in the main branch's forces" said Neji while reviewing maps and the latest intelligence on the opposiong forces deployment.

Ten-Ten grimly nodded "They are ready to leave at moment's notice. Still I think we should take this slower Neji, risking our main force in an assault on Daimon is not like you"

Neji didn't look up from the maps and quickly replied "They forced our hand on this by concentrating their defenses on few spots. Daimon is crucial in their defense for it links up to any of the other fronts. If we avoid Daimon then this conflict would drag on indefinitely as any of our gains would be short lived"

Ten-Ten didn't know how to respond for Neji's revolutionary spirit had been replaced with a cold desire for revenge upon Truesight's betrayal. As she pondered what words to say Lee entered the tent with a scroll in his hands.

"Important news comrades" said Lee in a mildly sad tone.

Lee had explained and apologized for his apparent betrayal at the Council chambers. It was true that their sensei was still alive as Hashi had delivered proof of it and had demanded Lee's loyalty in exchange for his beloved sensei's life. Still he explained that he wouldn't be able to see his sensei's face if had dared to betray his teammates for him; and so the next best thing to do was to kill the dishonorable monster who tempted him like that.

Neji was the first to forgive him and thank him for the loyalty and truthfulness but in all truth he would never forget it.

"Hinata dissolved the Council and has passed all of our demands as law, from yesterday the clan no longer has distinctions of branch and the clan-less warriors are to receive equal payment and rights to any other in the Hyuuga lands" said Lee while passing the official scroll to Neji who read it carefully.

Ten-Ten and Lee awaited Neji's response for it could mean that they wouldn't go to war after all and perhaps reach a diplomatic solution.

But their hopes were made ashes as Neji threw the scroll with a snort to the fire heating the tent.

Seeing his companions expectant faces he said "So what? It changes nothing. For all that we know this are only more lies for us to drop our guard and be destroyed in a surprise attack, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me"

Lee and Ten-Ten sighed knowing that they should have expected this response and to be honest they were suspicious as well.

"My Lord! Urgent report from our scouts nearby Daimon! Lady Hinata has reached the fortress with the entire royal guard of Truesight!" said a messenger who entered quickly and without permission.

Neji narrowed his eyes and grinning said "See? It seems my cousin has found good counsel in that sage and the other nobles. Now she seeks a fight with me by bolstering Daimon. Fine! It shall all be resolved at Daimon then and may the ancestors bring us fortune or ruin!" said Neji as he went to grab his armor.

Lee and Ten-Ten bowed before their commander and went to prepare themselves certain that ruin was all that awaited but they were beyond the point of return.

The end of Hyuuga was at hand.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"This is truly the end of the clan, to see I would live to see it even after the last war that took so much to end" said an elder with a lot of sadness in his voice.

"At least Hinata will execute us before Neji marches into Truesight" said another in dark humor.

"He will probably burn it before entering it" replied another.

"We should have never listened to you Hashi!" screamed another at the now conscious Hashi as he sat against a column of the still destroyed chambers of the Council.

Hashi coldly smiled as he rose back to his feet and stood at the center of the chamber, there he removed his badages revealing his scar which were no longer bleeding.

"But you have all but performed splendidly, you have far exceeded my expectations of pride, wickedness and stupidity!" said Hashi in a voice that no longer was his own.

The elders were left speechless before the now ghostly looking Hashi.

"I attempted to make the Hyuuga weak but to see it truly destroyed surpasses by far my first goals. And to think that you were the ones who had the ideas to make it happen! I can't thank you enough!" continued Hashi.

"What are you talking about Hashi? What's this madness?" dared to ask another elder.

"Hashi? That man has been dead for some time now you know? Using his body to fool you is a rather different topic" said Hashi as his smile became wider almost attempting to break the skin.

The elders backed away from this abomination in front of them

"But now the wheels are in motion and the end of the Hyuuga is inevitable! If I could only see Kyoko Hyuuga's face right now!" said Hashi while starting to laugh awkwardly as the body in front of them started to decay quickly.

One of the elders was banging on the door but the guards outside shouted back for them to shut up.

As the body of Hashi started to combust in dark blue flames one of the elders braved a last question to set his mind at ease knowing the imminence of his dead.

"Who are you monster? Why have you done this? Why spend so much time plotting?" screamed.

"Ohh, good question! Time is my ally believe it or not and as for who I am, I hope you remember the name Madara" finished saying the body of Hashi.

The elders eyes grew wide open in realization of the name of the dreaded monster of old times, the man who initiated the first great war of Fire by sending his legions throughout the land to conquer in his name.

Relishing in their sudden realization and escalating despair, Hashi finally let go and the fires quickly exploded incinerating the elders and everything inside the chambers as a column of dark blue fire escaped through the hole on the roof casting a shadow upon Truesight.

The guards never figured out what happened and regarded it as a suicidal pact of the elders to avoid the shame of public executions, still that such fire devoured the light above Truesight was taken as a bad omen.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Wow, that has to be the tallest fortification I have seen so far!" said Naruto while riding his horse as the royal guard approached the Daimon fortress.

The Daimon fortress, seat of the ancient Hyuuga who first claimed lordship of the southern lands of Fire, built Daimon as a fortress city from which to spread across the land and begin settling it. For a long time it worked as the capital but as civilian settlements became bigger and the Hyuuga's power consolidated it was abandoned as the capital and later used as a training ground for the armies during the multiple conflicts within Fire.

The last time this fortress saw action was during Madara Uchiha's first attempt to conquer Fire, as his forces went deep into the Hyuuga lands laying siege to the fabled fortress. Eventually the fortress resisted and in a legendary battle the leader of that time, Kyoko Hyuuga, defeated in combat the terrible monster.

Kyoko Hyuuga perished during the clash but her valiant efforts in which she injured Madara proved enough to rally her armies to charge the Uchiha and drive them back to the eastern lands of Fire.

Now the barely occupied fortress was once again buzzing with activity as a large force of Main branch warriors filled its ancient halls and manned the battlements. Working crews were repairing the damaged sections and many torches lit it back to life in the hope of once again save the Hyuuga.

"It's been a while" said Tsume as she neared the fortress "This is where my hubbie and I geared up for the last war"

"Then it must have been like a million years ago!" smartly said Kiba as he approached the group of defenders.

"Watch your mouth brat!" replied Tsume hiding the fact that she hated to see her son in the custom armor of her clan.

"Be welcomed to Daimon fortress my Lady" said Hana while bowing before her new leader.

"Glad to be here as well Hana, I only wish it wasn't under such circumstances" said Hinata while holding hands with her long time guardian.

"How are our forces?" asked next Hanabi as she felt jealous over her sister's friendliness with Hana.

Hana turned serious and as the group walked to one of the inner chambers she informed "With your royal guards we now have enough numbers to fully man the fortress and field an army in front if you wish. The repairs will be done by the first hours of the morning"

"Neji's army?" asked Naruto

"According to scouts it's already on the move, but other positions report that garrisons from Cadet Branch settlements are joining the march. We will face a significantly larger force in about day and a half, two at the most" finished reporting Hana.

Arriving at the plan room, the generals stood up to meet their leader and welcome the other companions brought by her.

Taking seats around the old table the plan was laid out. Basically the forces would be deployed in front of the fortress using its massive walls and high towers to give support to the ground units as they faced the onslaught of Neji's army.

The fortress was too big to surround so a frontal assault would be the only chance to win for either side.

"Still my Lady, I fear that these precautions won't be enough. We have numbers enough but with much less experience than the Cadet branch, I fear our ground troops won't be able to make it" said one of the first nobles to turn to Hinata's side.

"It may be a bit late to mention this but Neji's army is extremely well equipped, they are on par with our warriors. I fear Neji is being backed by a foreign power" said another noble.

"Gentleman, our strategy is quite clear so I ask you to see ways to make it better. As for Neji's equipment, that's a problem we will deal with later" said Hinata drawing everyone's attention.

"We will challenge Neji and give him one last chance to make peace. So let us pray he finds it in his heart to seek peace above revenge" finished Hinata as everyone tried their best to believe in such possibility.

"If you have any family among the soldiers…I would spend some time with them" said Hinata as she left to meditate.

The generals nodded and more than one headed to look for family among the warriors.

**Two days later…**

At day break the loud sound of shells being blown to the skies announced the arrival of Neji's army to the front gates of Daimon. The army seemed like a wave of reddish armors and silverfish lances and swords.

Row after row of armed men flying banners with the Hyuuga symbol broken in two and others with Neji's adopted symbol of a flying bird.

The front rows stopped at about three hundred yards from the fortress as the Main branch forces were already positioned to resist at the front of the gates with as much support from the towers and walls of Daimon as possible.

At the front of both forces were their leaders in full battle dress.

"Who would have guessed it comes to this? Neji thought as he slowly watched the opposing army and the mighty fortress behind.

Recalling his attention Ten-Ten said "Look Neji, they are rising the white flag, they wish to parlay"

"I guess it's only proper etiquette we comply" said Neji while making his way to Hinata and her entourage.

Lee and Ten-Ten quickly followed behind Neji going to the centero f the field where Neji was already in front of Hinata.

"It's good to see in you good health cousin" expressed Hinata in a educated way.

"Cut the chase Hinata, what do you want?" retorted Neji.

"I want you to stand down your army and engage in negotiations with me directly Neji" replied Hinata being brief.

"And why in the world would I do that? My army will crush you and eventually burn Truesight" Neji replied back.

"There is no longer any reason for you to fight Neji. I assume you received the scroll with the new reforms I passed two days ago?" said Hinata back.

"I did, but I don't see any reason to trust them or you for that matter. Especially after the elders' ambush!" replied Neji already losing his patience.

"You can't blame Hinata for that! The elders acted on their won and now await their executions for betraying her!" replied Naruto wanting to make some good.

Neji turned to look at the rather foreign looking person standing in front of him and recognized him "You must be the fabled Sage. So much help you have granted us, or is the Sage's way to support tyrants in the name of peace?"

Naruto was about to respond but Neji cut her short "Say nothing Sage for you words are wasted in me. Your efforts have rendered nothing so be quiet and let me finish talking with Hinata. I want to be done with you two as soon as possible!" finished Neji with a murderous look.

"Neji, I am so sorry for you Neji. I miss the boy who played with me when we were children, and now all you want is someone to pay for your pain" thought Hinata.

"What do you want Neji? Tell me and if possible it will be yours" said Hinata still looking for a peaceful way out of this.

"What I want? Hah! What I want is your children to become slaves, your nobles to be ruined and your women to be raped! What I want is my uncle Hiashi's head on a pike and your precious allies twisting in pain! What I want is heaven's wrath upon you all!" screamed back Neji while his Byakugan started to activate.

Hinata and her entourage were taken aback by Neji's sudden onslaught, Hinata sighed "I see what you need cousin" she thought.

"Very well Neji, then I offer you this. I don't want anyone dying today, my brethren behind is already in fear of war and your people don't need any more hardships and suffering. I challenge you to a Hyuuga duel" said Hinata surprising everyone, even Neji.

Neji smirked and replied "The terms?"

Hinata steeled her resolve and answered "The victor determines the fate of the Hyuuga and its entire people, the loser's side will abide to the rules of the other. But I have a condition, if I lose you will show mercy and you must promise to become the ruler your father would have wanted you to be!"

Neji sneered and replied "Fine! But there will be justice" and walked away to prepare.

Hinata sighed and did the same "I hope this works" prayed Hinata.

As both parties returned to their respective sides to prepare for the duel, Naruto just got a really bad feeling about the duel thing but Hinata was right, a duel would spare hundreds today.

**At Neji's side.**

"I'll be done quickly, make ready to move the army when they start their attack" said Neji while he removed his armor and changed into plain white practice clothes.

Lee and Ten-Ten were helping him to change and so they expressed their concerns about the duel

"And if they do submit to you if you win? What are you going to do?" asked Ten-Ten.

"Besides being surprised? Guess I will turn the tables on the nobility and the main branch for a while. It's not like I will do the same things they did to us but they will learn a bit of suffering so they can be on even ground" answered Neji as if that possibility was far from his thoughts.

"What of Lady Hinata? Will you kill her?" asked Lee.

"Usually these duels are to death over great grievances. I will force her to yield and we will see what happens later" said Neji casually.

"Remember the battle plan in case they try to pull another ambush" said Neji as he left for the middle of the battlefield.

**At Hinata's side.**

"My Lady! What are you thinking? That man is going to kill you!" screamed Hana while seconded by several generals who have come to respect her.

"Don't worry Hana, that won't happen" answered Hinata.

"Sis, let me take your place! I have more chances against him!" begged Hanabi.

"I am the one who called the duel, I can't back down now Hanabi" said Hinata while caressing her sisters face.

"But he won't respect his word! He will slaughter us all!" reaged Kiba while feeling powerless.

Shino didn't say anything but anyone could sense how worried he was.

"He is a man of his word, he will keep it" said Hinata while embracing her two teammates.

Finally ready, Hinata bowed to her friends and departed while escorted by Naruto who was chosen to act as both witness and referee to the duel. Though his role would only require him to make certain that both Hyuuga only use the Juuken.

Back at the field.

"Hinata are you serious about this?" asked Naruto as they both approached the already waiting Neji.

"Yes, it's the best course of action so that lives are not lost here" replied Hinata in a low voice.

"But he might actually try to kill you, I won't let him you know?" said Naruto.

"You are only a witness of honor; you may stop the duel if any of us use something other than Juuken. If you step in before the duel is over then he will take it as betrayal and commence the battle" said Hinata while turning to look at Naruto.

"Naruto, promise me that no matter what, you won't do anything but watch" sternly said Hinata as she looked into Naruto's eyes.

Naruto didn't want to make that promise but he knew that Hinata wouldn't get content unless he did. "I promise, but if steps out of line even for a second, I will crush him"

Hinata giggled "He wasn't always like this; I will remind him of that. Help him to get started, alright?" finished Hinata as she kissed Naruto's cheek.

Hinata left Naruto speechless and confused with that last sentence.

Both Neji and Hinata got into their identical Juuken stances and not waiting for further notice began the most important duel in the history of the Hyuuga as their Byakugan flared to life.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Hinata and Neji began their duel without further ceremonies or words; all that was left for them was to express their intentions through the purified Hyuuga fighting style, the Juuken.

Both exchanged Juuken blows deflecting each other attack as best as they could but one could already see that Neji's experience and fortitude was quickly overcoming Hinata's attempts.

"Want to give up now?" said Neji while taking a few steps back allowing Hinata to take a breath.

"Not yet cousin" gasped Hinata quite winded of trying to keep Neji's pace.

"You and I know you won't win, you are just being manipulated by the council and the nobles to buy time. Let's just get this over and get serious it will be faster that way" said Neji while commencing his assault once more.

Hinata managed to dodge a few blows but received one on her left shoulder.

Hinata didn't remember how much those strikes hurt but Neji made certain to remind her.

"Neji, is war what you really want? To see this clan ended?" screamed Hinata while trying her best to land a blow on Neji.

Neji dodged and counter attacked as he saw fit, Hinata was no real match for him and he was certain she knew it.

"What other path there is? Your Council showed me exactly what will always happen if we try to do things peacefully, you Main Branch high and mighty will never accept us as equals. You can't just imagine something different" said Neji as he delivered a powerful blow squarely into Hinata's chest.

"Fighting for one self is what counts; lasting victory can only be earned not agreed! We will hurt you as much as we can and then leave to dry among your ruins, we will defend our own lands! Your lands may be conquered but on our half we can overcome even the worst the Uchiha can send! That way you will truly understand how much we have suffered and why you deserved nothing less!" screamed Neji.

Hinata cleaned the blood dripping from her mouth, taking a long breath she replied.

"Maybe we do deserve devastation and suffering, but things weren't always like this. You remember it still don't you? How we used to play together as children? How you always came to my defense when other kids picked on me? You used to be very gentle and caring for your family and friends" said Hinata.

"Certainly! And I cringe on how blind and naïve I used to be! I played house while my true brothers and sisters suffered! Responded Neji as he landed several strikes on the withered Hinata.

"You should focus on the fight dear cousin; you losing in such way will severely demoralize your men and I want each and every one of them to fight at their best only to despair when I kill them all!" raged Neji while stepping back.

Hinata scanned her body seeing the damage Neji's blows were making; already several of her organs were damaged and barely working while others were starting to bleed.

"heh, you really have grown strong Neji, uncle would be proud" thought Hinata as she stood up once more "I need to finish this quickly"

"Neji, is this what your father would have wanted? His son to become a senseless murderer? A pitiful man drowned in anger?" screamed back Hinata as she renewed her attack with much more ferocity taking a surprise Neji with several blows that managed to land forcing him back.

"A man who was supposed to help lead the clan into the first peaceful era of Fire since the rising of the great clans? Now no better than the war mongers who first led us into countless battles were both Main and Cadet Branch warriors died!" continued Hinata as she stroke Neji as fast and precisely as she could.

"If my uncle lived he would be ashamed of you!" screamed Hinata as she tried to deliver a two handed strike to Neji's chest, but a flash of light surprised her.

Hinata was repulsed by Neji who was now inside a glowing dome of chakra.

"What? What was that?" though Hinata in surprise.

"The rotating defense of the Juuken. Not many Hyuuga can do it nowadays but few things are beyond my grasp within this family" replied Neji in a murderous tone as he recovered from Hinata's onslaught.

Hinata was amazed to see Neji recovering so quickly of the damage she inflicted, in her opinion her strikes should have inflicted the same damage he had on her.

"Surprised? It´s not the first time I fight against other Hyuuga you know? Between masters, sparring partners and snotty nobles, I have had my share of Juuken strikes and so I have created an acceptable resistance. In other words it takes a lot more than that to hurt me" said Neji confidently as he applied some chakra on his own body clearing more of the damage.

"While you…" at this he moved like a flash in front of her delivering a powerful strike directly at her heart "you spent your days playing and being cuddled for being the princess!"

Hinata felt how her heart stopped for a second and immediately ripples of pain went through her entire body as a lot of blood spilled from her mouth.

"This is how a battle is then, it hurts so much. I am doing the right thing, just a bit longer" thought Hinata barely standing back.

"That was for speaking of my father! What did you knew about him? Nothing! So don't speak of him, your family killed him and threw his dreams to the mud!" screamed Neji as he renewed his assault.

Naruto couldn't do anything but watch how Neji beat Hinata mercilessly, the anger inside him started to build up and all he wanted was to crush Neji and fight the entire rebel army on his own if he had to. But his promise bound him to just watch and trust whatever 0plan Hinata had.

Every Hyuuga on the field had their Byakugan activated and what started as a duel now became a pitiful beat up of a very enraged Neji against a frail looking girl. Not even the Cadet warriors were enjoying the match. The duel was taking everyone's desire to fight as storm clouds gathered.

Neji finished his last barrage but to his surprise Hinata always stood up again, most Hyuuga's would have succumbed already to such injuries. Pushing the fight further would seriously endanger Hinata's life and Neji's fury was also started to be replaced by something else.

"Ah, ah, ah, what about my mother?" said Hinata standing up once again.

What?" replied Neji.

"My mother was killed too for having the same desire as your father Neji, the Council did it. My mother and your father were so close to truly change the clan for good but were stopped. Tell me Neji, what is stopping us from changing it now? What is stopping us from fulfilling our parent's dream?" managed to say while blood was now continuously falling from her nose and mouth.

Neji hesitated at that, just as rain had begun to fall upon him.

"Y-Your family will never abide it, you will attempt to take everything away from us again! We can't trust you!" replied Neji.

"How many brothers are out there today? Hundreds? They have never known each other yet they share the same blood and now they will kill each other. My father and yours were born from the same parents; you and I share the same blood Neji. I always saw you as my family and have I known before of your suffering I would have gone to your aid without fault" said Hinata as she slowly made her way to Neji.

Neji now backed away slightly not sure of what to do.

"Don't Neji; don't go away" said Hinata trying to go faster and reach Neji "Please, trust me, trust your friends trust that everyone can be better. Help us to be better"

Neji stopped now feeling somewhat scared of Hinata's relentless desire to reach him.

Finally Hinata reached him but the scared Neji delivered another strike to Hinata's chest without thinking.

Hinata flew away and dropped to the ground without making noise or moving.

For some reason Neji went to her side and rolling her over saw that her eyes were barely opened

"Neji, is that you?" whispered Hinata.

"Yes, I-I don't know what I did; I got scared and…" responded Neji but Hinata hushed him.

"I don't see blood in your eyes anymore, that's good. Neji, look around you will you? See all the people gathered here" said Hinata.

Neji lifted his eyes and saw with his Byakugan the multitude of warriors gathered. Closer inspection told him of the sad faces in everyone and the unabated tears falling from Hanabi's eyes as Hana tried to comfort her.

Neji felt his strength and his desire to fight leaving him.

"I don't want to fight Hinata" said Neji while looking back at his cousin.

"I see that, have a Byakugan too; do your people still want to fight?" said Hinata.

"I don't think so" replied Neji.

"Good, then it's done, you won't fight anymore do you?" said Hinata.

"No, I don't want to. Let's talk I think you deserve another chance" replied a now smiling Neji.

Coughing more blood Hinata started to see how all things started to lose color and brightness.

"Heh, It's good to see you smile Neji, I always thought your smile to be brighter than Lee's" said Hinata with a gentle smile.

Neji laughed as warms tears ran down seeing in Hinata the little girl who always invited him and his friends to play without any care in the world. He missed that.

"Neji, may I ask something from you?" asked Hinata.

"Anything cousin" said Hinata.

"Make of our clan, a place where people like you and me are never born again. Blind to the suffering of others or filled with anger. Make it a place where our parents could have been happy" finished saying Hinata as she closed her eyes sporting a warm smile.

Neji just blinked as a lightning crossed the skies.

**AN: Done at last!**

**Damn that took me forever to finish, but for my readers I made an extra long chapter.**

**I have a few doubts over the dramatic ending but I think it's good enough to update.**

**I know I said this will be the conclusion but events took me to move it up to the next chapter.**

**This is obviously a cliffhanger but it takes a powerful moment like this to stop two armies from fighting. And well to piss off a few NaruHina fans after the lemon, hahaha.**

**Anyway, the next chapter will be very short but it's to wrap things up with the Hyuuga.**

**Now, I noticed that Naruto was largely relegated to a second place in this arc but ideas came flying about the concept and I couldn't stop my fingers from writing it as it came. I promise to do not make the same mistake with the next arc and if I do I would appreciate if you told me.**

**Anyway, Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	25. When a bird flies

**Chapter 24: When a bird flies**

The lightning crossed the skies bathing everyone on the battlefield with a pure white light as no thunder followed.

Neji just stood there unable to fully grasp what had happened but seeing Hinata's eyes close so peacefully he felt terror creeping up his spine for once more a person close to his heart was going to depart this world; and this time it would be by his hands.

Neji quickly knelt besides Hinata's still body and quickly scanned her with the Byakugan and to his relief, her body still had chakra circulating and her heart was still beating though very weakly.

He ignited his hand with chakra and focused it on his finger tips but right before he could land them on her his arm was stopped by another with a painful grip. Looking up two red orbs were staring at him with barely constrained fury.

"Isn't that enough? She can no longer fight!" said Naruto in an almost demoniacal voice.

"You idiot! I don't want to kill her; I am trying to save her! If I unblock the chakra coils I attacked I may give her a chance to live! Now let me go, every second counts!" screamed Neji unable to get away from Naruto's grip.

Naruto didn't let go immediately but sensing no more ill will from Neji and looking at his desperate expression, unconsciously let his hand go.

Neji once more lit his fingers with chakra and began the careful process of hitting different parts of Hinata's body. Naruto on his side didn't understood well what was going on but his strikes didn't seemed to be hurting Hinata so he allowed it to continue.

Neji finally stopped his treatment and called for medics using hand signs known to all Hyuuga.

In a few moments medical teams from both sides were now by Hinata's side trying their best to keep her alive but the internal injuries produced a large blood loss and they were unable to stabilize her heart rhythm.

An infusion of blood was steadily feeding more of the precious liquid into her but her heart was far from being stable and growing weaker by the moment.

The healers went back to the gathered number of friends, family and generals "My esteemed lords and ladies, her Chakra network has been restored by Lord Neji's quick actions but unless we can stabilize her heart I am afraid she won't make it beyond the night" said one of the healers with the sad nods from the others.

"NOOO! Screamed Hanabi as Hana forced her to her chest where the smaller child wailed and cried.

Every Inuzuka dog howled painfully to the skies sharing the sadness of their masters. The most painful was from Akamaru.

The generals on their side were already having an argument about the clan's future

"What are we going to do?" asked one of them

"Shall we name Hanabi?" said another

"It doesn't seem like she is in any condition to take rein. Should we consider naming a regent for the mean time?" suggested another.

"What if Hanabi rejects the title? I mean, she will not be very understanding with Neji" spoke other general.

"Should we change royal houses?" said another rising gasps from the other generals.

"My good lords, I don't think this is the right time for such talk. Lady Hinata is not dead yet, please be mindful" said Tsume earning apologetic looks from the Hyuuga generals.

Shibi approached Tsume "But this is a problem alright. We may have avoided fighting today but losing Hinata removes any guarantee of peace for the future. The nobles have started arguing about Hinata's replacement and who knows what will be the new leader be like"

Tsume nodded and looking back at her somber looking son leaning on Akamaru while Shino placed a hand on his shoulder replied "The only good thing coming from this is that at least both sides will be willing to talk"

"A great victory for you my Lady" finished Tsume while bowing in Hinata's resting position.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

A tent had been erected around Hinata's resting place and her clothes had been changed for clean dry ones while her body had been placed on a campaign bed and the interiors decorated with the banner of both armies indicating their loyalty for such gracious lady.

Healers had been trying to stabilize Hinata's heart but her weaken state stopped them from applying stronger medicines of more invasive procedures that would certainly kill her. They claimed that Senju healers would be capable but the Senju representatives had left the Hyuuga when the Council had deemed their presence unwelcomed the moment they protested over being forbidden to heal members of the Cadet branch.

All that the Hyuuga healers could do was to wait but their prognostics weren't good, it would take a miracle to fix her injured heart.

Naruto was suddenly left alone with the poor Hinata as the Healers walked outside to rest and inform on her situation to the waiting crowds that assembled outside of the small tent amidst the storm.

Naruto took a chair and sat right next to Hinata and grasped her hand.

"Heh, who would have known? You really made it. You found a path to bring peace to your people" almost whispered Naruto as he suffered seeing her pale face and winced every time Hinata's breathing became agitated.

"Look at me, and I thought of slaughtering a bunch of old men to force peace between you two. How foolish isn't it? You saw the problem that really needed to be fixed, bless your eyes Hina chan" continued as he caressed her face.

"But you are a fool, you know? You should have told me, I may have been able to do something, stop Neji before he gave you that last strike, something…" said Naruto with regret.

"Look at me, I promised to stop tragedies but I just can't seem to be able to stop any. Maybe I am a fool for thinking it's possible, I am no good Hinata, I don't get things done and I am not helping anyone achieve peace. Ever since I left home I have known nothing but people trying to kill each other over scraps of land and old grievances. I think I should go back home and stay there, this world doesn't need a foolish Sage" said Naruto while a tear finally dropped on Hinata's face.

Naruto gently placed his face on the sheets by Hinata's side and there he cried silently unable to think on how to help this valiant girl.

"Don't die, please don't die like this. I want you to see this new clan you forged. **YOU CAN'T DIE!**" Naruto roared in a deep growl as the anger product of the impotence before the situation made a thin layer of red chakra flare on top o his skin.

Unconsciously Naruto removed the sheets covering Hinata's frail body and ripped Hinata's clothes uncovering her pale form. He then unplugged every line that was attached to her body and hugged her close to his body as his cloak closed around them.

A few instants passed without further sounds or movement, but as the red glow grew Hinata's eyes shot wide open and a piercing scream came out from her mouth.

Naruto didn't react to this scream an instead held Hinata closer to him as the glow intensified and Hinata began screaming even louder.

It didn't took long for the tent to be occupied by Neji and the other leaders after hearing the first scream, but seeing the strange and almost hellish spectacle before them refrained them from doing anything as they didn't wanted to harm Hinata in the process.

Neji was quick minded and activated his Byakugan; what he saw made him utter a low "Impossible" for that red intense Chakra was forcefully making its way into Hinata, overflowing her Chakra coils and moving inside her like an over flooded river.

Slowly the red Chakra started to reach Hinata's center at the heart making her screams stop for she no longer had any breath left in her.

As Hinata went silent and limp, her body was now also covered with a thin layer of the red Chakra as the monstrous Naruto place her gently on the bed not caring that she was still out.

Naruto never turned his face to the others within the tent and just took back his seat besides Hinata and lying again on his face the red Chakra surrounding him disappeared.

The moment the red Chakra faded; Neji and the others pulled Naruto to the ground and held him there with weapons, fangs, glowing hands and insects ready to smite him. But to their surprise Naruto seemed dazed and confused.

Healers scrambled into the tent and quickly got to examine Hinata and check her for any damage the Sage may have caused.

To their surprise Hinata's heart sounded strong and with constant rhythmic beats, her skin was no longer pale and she was taking long breaths. A Byakugan analysis showed though that several Chakra coils had been burned or shut down as the Red Chakra still flowed within her body but no serious damage was to be seen.

The head of the Healers dared to pull Neji at one side "My Lord, Lady Hinata is well and alive; in fact she is out of danger now. Her heart beats strongly and we can't find any other trouble with her, she is asleep at the moment for the Sage's Chakra flooding her caused some of her coils to burst and so it caused her great pain"

Neji stammered and asked "Are you certain? Is she going to be alright?"

Everyone who was submitting the still dazed Naruto turned at these words.

The healer smiled and replied "She is, she should wake up once the Sage's Chakra fades from her system"

The sour mood in the room quickly turned to one of celebration as everyone inside lifted Naruto from the ground and rewarded him with hugs, kisses and manly pats on the shoulder.

Hinata on her side turned in her now more peaceful sleep and started to mumble something with something akin to a lecherous smile

"Mmm; Naruto, you want to do it again? Alright, but I want on top…" mumbled Hinata as she turned her back to everyone.

A few seconds after those words settled in the gathered people, Naruto had replaced himself with a poorly done clone as the real one was running out from the tent.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The news from the battlefield and the amazing tale of the duel among kin reached the far corners of all of Hyuuga with great speed. In some places the news were received with enthusiasm, others with healthy skepticism and in very few places with outward rage. What everyone did share was the relief of civil war averted.

Songs were being chanted across all of Hyuuga for peace have finally settled in their lands and when they heard that a Sage had been involved in the whole process they praised him for the blessing he meant.

The travel back to Truesight had been marked by the strange spectacle of seeing both armies marching together with their leaders at the head. The reforms had been passed and Neji had approved them as a significant step in the right direction but years of vigilance would follow so old vices are not repeated.

The leaders were somewhat surprised when they heard the Council's peculiar demise for within the Hyuuga Jutsu repertoire there were very few Fire Jutsus not to mention that the flames that engulfed the Council chambers were of dark blue.

Celebrations followed for about a week and quickly the nobles disclosed the plethora of children they had hidden so they could avoid the fate of the Cadet; and also a lot of Cadet members disclosed the large number of first born they kept hidden in other homesteads. Apparently only the careless or truly dedicated still abided by the ancient tradition.

Truesight had been "blessed" for the moment the bearded but still very strong Gai met his beloved student Lee as a huge rainbow covered the entire city and for some reason a sunset light appeared though it was ten in the morning!

The nobles compelled by Hinata's strange behavior after her miraculous recovery opened their treasury vaults and quickly began works for the benefit of the entire population. Payment for Shinobi missions was deregulated and so everyone had the same wages for their dedicated efforts.

One of the strangest things to happen during the celebrations was the very odd behavior from Lady Hinata for she ordered huge festivities to be held, huge amounts of food to be prepared. Her behavior caught everyone of her friends by surprise for during the celebrations she chanted at the top of her lungs, danced dirtily with any guy that came her way, drank alcohol, ate beyond her measure and was caught several times trying to sneak into Naruto's room several times.

This odd behavior though stopped once the amount of Naruto's Chakra within her body decreased to barely perceptive levels causing her a week long state of hang over as that strange Chakra was particularly intense.

On a different note Kiba had been depressed during the whole week for Hinata was no longer a virgin, she never danced with him during the parties and Shino hanged around his mother too often for his comfort.

"Oh boy what a week!" said Hinata while she replaced the bag of ice hanging on her head.

"Can't believe I did all those things!" continued.

"What matter is that you are well and among us once more my Lady" said Hana while remembering Hinata's crazy behavior.

The reforms had passed smoothly but truth be told Hinata was still a rookie and she would need much help to guide the clan. So Neji suggested that a Council formed by younger leaders of both sides of the family be formed, to this new Council, members of the Clan less warriors and the allied clans of Hyuuga would be invited and be given vote.

Hinata agreed immediately and asked Neji to move back to Truesight but he refused saying that the lands of the Cadet branch needed him more and that he also needed to take care of issues regarding a weapons smuggler.

"Isn't Naruto here yet?" asked Hinata

"He said he needed to write a letter for his father, the previous Toad Sage" responded Hana handing over more tea for Hinata.

"Father? Wonder if he is also good looking like Naruto!" said an excited Hinata.

"My Lady!" exclaimed Hana with rose cheeks as she also considered the possibility.

"Ah! I am so sorry Hana. This damned Chakra is still messing up with me!" said Hinata in a very un lady like tone.

Just as she said this Naruto made his way into the leader's chambers where only Hinata and Hana awaited for him.

"Hey there handsome! Get over here!" screamed Hinata from the far side while waving her arm.

Naruto smiled awkwardly and went over to Hinata.

"Once again I am sorry for all this. I never expected that to happen" said Naruto feeling something embarrassed as Hinata was literally undressing him with her eyes.

"And I am sorry we only did it once darling! ...What am I saying? I am sorry Naruto!" said Hinata as she still debated between her wild personality and the more educated one.

"Hah, no worries it's kind of fun seeing you so relaxed. Anyway my Lady is there anything you want to ask from me?" said Naruto smiling more joyously than ever for his efforts had finally paid off and a miracle have spared a very noble soul.

"Yeah, the thing is that I want you to stay. You see the nobles and representatives of the new Council have asked me to start looking for suitors as they want to have heirs from my lineage! Can you believe it? Asking a young girl like me to be a mother? And while I still have this fabulous body?" casually said Hinata

Her comments left both Naruto and Hana rock solid and with shocked looks.

"So I am asking you to stay, become my husband and bang me tirelessly in order to make an adorable baby!" said a grinning Hinata.

Naruto went beet red with the rather crass request from Hinata while Hana had to grab on to something, not even her mother was this direct when it came to sex.

Hinata blinked at the two's reaction and in a few seconds mumbled something went red herself and fainted falling from her highly decorated chair.

Once the small commotion finished Hinata regained her composure and re addressed Naruto.

"The reason I summoned you is because you have plans to leave soon right?" asked Hinata.

"Yes my Lady, the path of a Sage lies on the road and according to my father's orders I must keep traveling" said Naruto.

"I was going to ask you to stay with us as an honorable member of our clan but I guess it was just me getting my hopes high" replied Hinata.

"Don't my Lady I do plan on coming back some day, besides who knows where does the road will take me?" said Naruto giving a reassuring smile.

"Then let me thank you for your efforts on my entire people's behalf. You presence allowed me to fight back for my clan's future and now we have a bright future ahead of us. Gods only know what would have happened, have you never met me back at Farsight" said Hinata while taking a deep bow before Naruto.

"Heh, you give me too much credit, I barely did anything (literally)" said an embarrassed Naruto

"You opened my eyes to my clan's situation and the rest will now be told in history. Take pride in the knowledge that you accomplished your role as a Sage" replied a smiling Hinata.

"Besides, your arts saved my life, right when I thought I would be seeing my ancestors" said Hinata standing up and walking to Naruto.

"Right, my Sage arts …" thought Naruto remembering that particular moment. How it happened was beyond his knowledge and the after effects on Hinata were also a question. Something told him that those weren't Sage arts but something else, for during his training he never learned anything close to such thing, and as far as he knew Chakra healing required great control, clear mind and anatomic knowledge; things he didn't had back at the moment.

"And to the hero his reward" said Hinata as she grabbed the distracted Sage and lowered him to her shorter stature to give him a soft peck on the lips.

Naruto was surprised but quickly reciprocated Hinata's rather bold reward; soon enough both were making out in the middle of the room until a loud coughing from Hana forced them to depart.

"Heh, sorry I got carried away" said Hinata.

"No problem! Responded Naruto.

"Well my Lady it's time for me to leave. Please be well and keep that love for your people strong, the world needs people like you to inspire it" said Naruto while bowing deeply before Hinata.

Hinata nodded accepting Naruto's farewell words but before he could leave, she asked "Where are you going?"

"To the Sarutobi lands, I am almost done travelling through Fire and they may need a hand too" replied Naruto looking over his shoulder.

Hinata then offered a last advice "If you go to that land, beware of a man named Danzo, he used to scare me a lot when I was little. But do send my regards to Hiruzen Sarutobi if you manage to greet him, he always seemed like a kind grandfather to me"

"Will do Hina chan!" happily replied Naruto as he left the chambers.

Turning Hinata to Hana she asked "Why you didn't ask him?"

"I couldn't have it would have been very awkward!" replied a blushing Hana.

"I thought your clan needed breeding material for future packs, I don't mind sharing you know?" asked Hinata with a grin.

"Lady Hinata!" said Hana in outrage.

Hinata went back to normal and said "Sorry! Stupid Sages Chakra!"

**AN: Done!**

**Now before you raise your pitchforks and torches over the sudden change in tone and the outcome of the battle let me say my reasons for it.**

**First, my story started as a light hearted adventurous journey and I will try to steer it back to that settling.**

**Second, this arc though well written and highly praised spiraled out of control and ended up being something very different from previous arcs. As a writer, there are some rules one must follow and when I turned my story it into a drama painted with such a grim subject such as civil war, I broke the rule of consistency and ended up with a very different product.**

**Three, the big question; why is Hinata alive? Well if Pain couldn't kill her by beating the crap out of her and stabbing her and all it took was a hand wave from Sakura to get her back to her feet and celebrating Naruto's victory a few pages later. Then I can save her too, the reason? I never liked character dead, particularly of those better developed, and frankly Hinata doesn't deserve something like that, at least not in my story.**

**Fourth, for those who think that my usage of the Fox's Chakra was wrong or against a Bijuu's nature, remember that the Kyubi is not fully woken within Naruto. The day of his rising is getting closer but not just yet. So his Chakra pool is free for use at this moment and so I have a justification to use it as I please, that will change later though.**

**Fifth, and perhaps the most important reason which EVERY READER MUST take into account. Though I enjoy the praise and criticism from you people, this story is ultimately mine to do as I please. For some it might sound arrogant but that's just the way it is and those enjoying the story must abide by that fact. **

**Writing takes time, takes creativity, takes erasing entire pages some times because the story came wrong and in my particular case, it takes constant grammar, spelling and quick searches in the dictionary since my native language is not English and though I speak it since I have memory, I still make mistakes which you kindly have overlooked in sake of enjoying the story.**

**The next arc will be the Sarutobi where he will end travelling through the land of Fire and also meet the rest of Konoha's characters. That arc will also have some small drama and suspense but not to the level and somberness of the Hyuuga arc, after all succession issues are less of a trouble as civil war. Hopefully you will stay with me but if you felt disappointed at some level and decide to stop reading I won't hold it against your for you are free to do as you wish.**

**Read, enjoy and review.**


	26. A giant's shadow

**Chapter 25: A giant's shadow**

It's been almost two weeks since the affair with the Hyuuga ended and so far Naruto has been travelling through the now joyous southern lands of Fire. Every town he walked by were still having some sort of celebration and already signs of improvement could be seen as roads were watched and towns returned to a regular routine.

Naruto had decided to avoid getting himself involved with the following celebrations and just make his way towards the last clan of Fire, the Sarutobi.

From what he managed to remember, the Sarutobi was one of the most ancient but powerful clans of Fire. Their approach was an inclusive one where the skilled were handsomely rewarded with status and rank.

The most peculiar aspect of this clan Naruto read at the Library of Three Peaks was that the Sarutobi managed to keep its rather colorful collection of ninja under a philosophic / religious banner in the form of something called "The Will of Fire" which was first brought by the first Sarutobi and later on, formally established by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen, according to Hinata was an old kind ninja who reminded her of a nice granddad, but according to what the Uchiha relied to him, an invincible ninja who had fought in nearly every war from the past century and had come often victorious though not so lucky as conquerors of other lands.

Naruto was having a hard time trying to decide exactly what kind of character really was Hiruzen, the most ancient surviving ninja in the world by all records.

One thing was certain; from previous experiences the best bet would be to remember that this man was the most experienced Ninja.

As for what Kitara had mentioned so long ago, the Sarutobi were currently in the process of passing leadership to a new generation, but to a clan that has always been under the same guidance it can't be an easy thing to process.

Naruto just huffed away such things, if lucky things should go better than with the Hyuuga and if not; well it would hardly be worse or any more difficult.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Finally crossing the last checkpoint the landscape changed dramatically as the lands were now less warm and drier. Still very tall trees framed most of the road ahead though the carefully built roads of the Hyuuga were no more to be enjoyed and so Naruto prayed so he didn't get lost on the dirt road he stepped on.

Fortunately for him the road was just one and extended as far as he could see; so the journey would be a long one before the first settlements came into view.

"Weird no border patrol was in place since the situation with the Hyuuga was so grave" thought Naruto as he came about a corner following the road.

Right ahead there was a mid-sized cart with a horse resting close by and three colorful tents in front of it and a warm fire in the middle. Naruto didn't saw anyone near and wondered why have a fireplace? When night was still some hours away?

"Hello? Is anyone around?" said Naruto out loud expecting someone to come out and greet him but no one did.

"Guess they went out to find some food. Well it's not like I have any urgency to get into more trouble" thought Naruto as he decided to take a place by the fire and wait for the owners of the caravan.

The scenery was strangely calming and relaxing, the fire was warm and inviting to seat closer and the wood fragrance of the forest soothed his senses to a point in which he was getting very sleepy. But right before his eyes finally closed a rustle on the nearby tree line woke him up and got him into guard.

Expecting a beast or something he was surprised to see three young maidens in colorful and revealing clothes (gypsy style). The three stumbled out of the woods carrying wood and some fruits they picked to eat but apparently it was too much for them so Naruto moved in quickly to help them.

The three grateful ladies unloaded their cargo on Naruto's strong arms and went their merry way to their caravan. Naruto placed the wood and the food where the ladies pointed him and later invited him to take a seat by the fire and spend the night with them.

Naruto took the last part in the wrong sense and tried to excuse himself and leave but one of the girls told him to stay for the night as to protect them from wild beasts or bandits. Naruto cursed himself over his now twisted morality and agreed.

Taking his seat back by the fire he took a good glance at the three travelers. One had long purple hair combed straight and wore similarly colored attire; she had a decent figure though she wasn't as impressive as the other two, her name was Yugao Uzui and was of a rather silent nature barely speaking anything and when she did it was in whispers and only to the other girls.

The other one was of curled black hair and a couple of mesmerizing red eyes placed on a mature looking face. From the three she looked like the eldest but her elegance was clear and the makeup she applied on herself made her look even more womanly. Her figure was quite decent and clearly revealed the maturity of her years, her name was Kurenai Yuhi and she always casted an aura of gentleness and concealed wisdom.

The last one though was by far the most outspoken of the trio. She laughed hard and spoke loud, she had velvet eyes similar to those of the Hyuuga but with a different color. Her hair was combed into a spiky pony tail that rose above her head in several spikes. Her body was the most lascivious and had no shame in showing it giving Naruto several "service" glances of it. Her name was Anko Mistarashi and her aura was that of confidence though Naruto felt that there was something else under that…

"So tell us, what is a handsome man like you doing on the road at such hours?" asked Kurenai passing a bowl of soup to Naruto.

Feeling somewhat trusting Naruto spoke honestly though hiding certain elements of his story "Well I am a traveler and got caught up in a nasty business over the Hyuuga clan lands. It was too dangerous to travel the roads so I stayed put in a small village until times improved"

"Right! I heard those spooky eyed freaks where at each other throats not too long ago! But haven't they already settled down and removed the stick from their butts?" loudly asked Anko as she took her seat next to Naruto.

"Anko! Watch your mouth in front of guests! I am so sorry for her behavior" said Kurenai sounding apologetic.

"No problem, it's nice to have some company from time to time" replied Naruto with a smile as he carefully tasted the soup not wanting unpleasant surprises.

Seeing that it was good he dug in without a care and was pleased to see it tasted really good "Wow! It's really good, who made this?" asked Naruto.

"Yugao did, she is really good at cooking" said a proud Kurenai as Yugao hid her face in embarrassment.

Naruto flashed her, a broad smile making her blush intensely.

"As to answer your question Anko, they did settle down and apparently they are quite happy about it. It was party after party as I left the country" answered Naruto feeling a bit uncomfortable with Anko's proximity, who had just started to invade his personal space.

"Oh, and did you got some fun too?" asked in a sultry tone making Naruto blush a bit remembering what he did with Hinata.

"He did! Hah! Guess a man is always a man! With how many girls did you do it?" asked Anko clearly wanting to make Naruto even more embarrassed.

"Anko, behave yourself! That's private you know?" said Kurenai not being able to hide some of her interest.

Yugao whispered something to Kurenai and she yelled back "I am not going to ask if he did it with more than one girl at a time!"

Naruto nearly spit his soup as the remark brought images of his time with the Senju and the quite unforgettable time he had with Sakura and Tsunade.

Anko's eyes never left his face and she recognized that look "Boy! Are you not a dog? Well can't blame you, you seem to pack some muscle and a lot of stamina if you are walking instead of riding a coach or a horse"

"Now that you mention it, the next settlement is still some ways from here, how do you manage to walk all this way? Are you some sort of ninja or anything?" asked Kurenai with some concern in her voice.

Naruto got a bit nervous over that question; foreign ninja weren't exactly popular among ninja clans, particularly during these troubled times. So Naruto decided to play safe and say "I did got some training but nothing great, I have been travelling all my life so I can't say I belong to one land or another"

The girls seemed to relax and continued eating without further commotion.

**Later…**

Night had already settled in fully and after having dinner the three girls were preparing to go to sleep in their own tents while they offered Naruto to sleep on the cart with a few blankets. Naruto refused saying that he would keep watch for the night and went to pile some more wood.

The three girls nodded and Kurenai and Yugao retired for the night while Anko waited by the fire for Naruto to return.

Naruto was surprised to see Anko sitting by the fire moving the wood with a stick "Is anything wrong? Can't sleep?"

Anko smiled and turned her eyes towards Naruto "Nah, just don't feel like it yet. Say, do you want to do it?"

Naruto was a bit confused over the question but was rectified quickly when Anko stood up and began to pull down her top revealing her breasts little by little.

Naruto quickly jumped towards Anko and held her hands in place "Are you mad? We would wake up the others! Besides, I don't think it's a good idea" said Naruto awkwardly placing Anko's clothes back properly.

"Oh, a gentleman I see. Fine, but you are missing out a lot!" said Anko winking and starting to turn.

"But you see, I am quite turned on and in the right mood, so would you mind to at least give me a kiss so I can settle down?" asked Anko biting her lower lip.

Naruto gulped and got a bad feeling about it but feeling a bit aroused over the entire situation he got close to Anko and whispered "Just a kiss? Nothing else? A simple kiss?"

"A kiss is enough but if you want more…" replied Anko in a low voice while guiding her fingers on top of her breasts.

Naruto quickly said "Alright, just a kiss then"

Naruto then got in front of Anko and lowered his face to Anko's level as she was quite shorter than he.

"Come here baby!" excitedly said Anko as she grabbed Naruto by the hair and gave him a furious kiss getting her tongue into Naruto's mouth clearly surprising him with the intensity.

It didn't took long for Naruto to get into it and start reciprocating her kiss, but clearly she was the expert a she kept dominance and her long tongue gave him a pleasure unknown up until this point.

Naruto finally relaxed and decided to allow Anko take the lead as she was giving him more than he could offer back. As his hands were about to roam on Anko's body he felt something hard going down his throat and making him involuntarily swallow it.

Naruto pushed Anko away as the drug started to work on him dulling his senses and weakening him severely. Anko walked close to him in full confidence only to be surprised when Naruto took her by the neck and lifted her from the ground "What the hell did you do to me?" asked an irate but weak Naruto.

Anko felt how his grip began to get tight and cut off her breathing but she knew that Naruto was close to collapse due to the powerful drug. Before Anko received any significant damage Kurenai's finger touched Naruto's forehead casting a sleeping genjutsu on him and given his current state he wouldn't be able to counter it.

Effectively Naruto loosened his grip on Anko and let her go as he began to collapse only to get caught by Yugao and gently placed on the floor "You think he would have come if we asked?" asked Yugao in a formal stern voice.

"We couldn't take any chances; Lord Hiruzen was right to send us here, I wonder how he knew this character would come?" replied Kurenai watching Naruto sleep making certain he was alright.

"Don't know, but it was totally worth it! He is more experienced than his face lets you know!" said Anko turned on by Naruto's rude behavior and the excitement of the kiss.

"Slut" thought Yugao.

"Let's pack things up and secure this guy on the cart; it's a long way to the capital and Lord Hiruzen requested haste" said Kurenai as she began to put shinobi restraints on Naruto.

"Alright, alright; always so bossy" said Anko as she went to pack things.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto woke up to a sudden move that threw him to a side of the cart; he immediately tried to get up but the many restraints placed on his body made it near impossible to move around. He rolled around to see that he was inside a mid-sized cart and resting on top of a travelling mattress; his coat and weapons were neatly placed by his feet.

With a groggy voice Naruto called "Hello…" still somewhat affected by the powerful drug and with his throat severely dried due to the long time since having a sip of water.

Anko's face showed through the front of the cart and then disappeared back in the front, the cart came to a stop not long after that and once again Anko came through the front of the Cart and knelt by his side.

"Good morning lover boy! Enjoying the ride?" asked a happy looking Anko who was now dressed in very different attire. She was now wearing a mesh shirt and a very short dark orange skirt, her upper body was covered by a khaki trench coat and her legs were covered in two red armored leg braces (Basically her same attire from the manga/anime except for the color of the braces).

Anko bent in front of Naruto and he could see that she wasn't wearing anything under the mesh shirt so he could perfectly see the full silhouette of her breasts and with a bit of luck her…

Poking his eyes she laughed and said "Only in the third date pervert!" and sat back watching Naruto recover.

"Water..." demanded Naruto as he regained his sight.

Anko grabbed a small gourd and knelt besides Naruto and holding his head she placed the gourd on his lips. Naruto started drinking desperately until the gourd was empty.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" asked Naruto in a more normal voice as he tried to get free from the restraints.

"Because those are our orders; catch a blonde fellow with a red coat and goofy expression and haul him over to the capital" replied Anko placing Naruto's head over a pillow.

"Couldn't you have ask me to come over?" asked an irate Naruto frustrated of not being able to break free and for some reason he couldn't mold his chakra to escape.

Anko smiled wickedly at Naruto and straddling him she got very close to his face and licking his cheek said "Would you have? We were told you would be unwilling since you are prone to get in trouble…besides, don't tell me you didn't enjoy what we did a few days ago?"

Naruto laughed nervously as Anko kept stimulating him but "D-D-Days? How long have I been asleep?" demanded Naruto.

Getting up from him Anko took her seat across him and said "For around three days, that drug was supposed to knock you out for a week, but you kept stirring to consciousness so I kept giving it to you…in the same way I gave it to you first stud!"

Naruto went red as this was the first time a woman dominated him in such a way, unlike every other this one was a true predator, not just more experienced than him but truly seeking absolute dominance over him using every weapon in her arsenal.

Just as Naruto was about to reply the cart come to a stop "Looks like we finally arrived! Now, I will release you but you better promise me you will behave" said Anko

"Fine, I promise to behave; but where exactly are we?" asked Naruto as he rolled so Anko could remove the restraints.

"In Gran Fire, the capital city of the Sarutobi clan!" replied Anko as she got to free Naruto.

**Moments later…**

Naruto stepped out of the cart with help from Anko as the effects of the drug were still hindering his movements. Upon stepping out he was met by the other two females who accompanied Anko when they met a few days ago.

Yugao was in full battle dress (Anbu armor without mask) and Kurenai was in a short white, red, and black dress (Her regular outfit from the series), but the main distinction was that both of them wore headbands with metal plates similar to the one that Jiraiya uses except these didn't have horns but a humble symbol of a flame (The one from the Sarutobi graveyard).

Naruto noticed that Anko also had one though her hair covered it almost completely, of course you can't blame the young sage as Anko's forehead is not the first thing you look on her.

"You done with him slut?" asked Yugao in a stern voice making Naruto miss the cute display she used the other day.

Anko didn't seemed offended at all and just replied "Not at all, but for the moment I am; and please don't get all grumpy on me, just because the only guy you managed to bag is as sickly wimp who spends half his time in bed, you have to unleash your sexual frustration on others"

"What did you say slut?" said Yugao grabbing her sword while Anko replied "Bring it!" with a kunai already in her hand.

"Settle down you two!" screamed Kurenai bonking both on the head with a closed fist "Our mission isn't over! You can tear each other a new one once we are done!"

Both girls held their heads in pain as they nodded and got behind Naruto, while Kurenai got in front making a triangular defensive line that surrounded Naruto.

Smiling tenderly Kurenai said "If you will, we shall escort you to the one who sent us looking for you; please feel free to ask us anything about the city but do refrain from making questions of our lord"

Naruto nodded and feeling that his strength was quickly coming back to him decided to play along a little longer.

The three walked across several solid rock formations that seemed be formed in waves or layers of walls. Going across them through the slim road the first buildings of the city came into view, very tall pagoda style towers rose to the sky with a wooden symbol of the Sarutobi at its every peak.

Getting closer Naruto saw that the city was at a depression on the ground making a bowl at the heart of it and the tall rock walls formed an escalated defensive wall that protected the city. The city's main color was red and every building had religious decorations of the will of Fire as Kurenai was kind enough to point out for Naruto. Though several buildings seemed burned and its blackened surface the symbol of a skull was painted in white.

Naruto was about to ask about those buildings but was silenced as the main palace rose into view, tallest than any tower or temple, painted in white walls and red roofs it stood majestically as the dominant structure of the city, an on its peak a golden symbol of the Sarutobi that shone brightly with the midday sun. (Like a grand Japanese castle)

"That's where we are headed" pointed out Kurenai as Naruto was still marveled with the sheer size of the building and its majesty.

As the three moved forward a loud growl made them stop and realized that the noise came from Naruto's stomach "I don't suppose you would allow me to eat first, right?" asked Naruto a bit embarrassed over his loud proclamation of hunger.

Kurenai was going to say no at first but after the second growl made her shake a bit she decided that such a performance in front of their master would probably get him upset "Fine, we will get to a food stand and grab something"

Naruto bowed thankfully as he was truly hungry but as they moved to the restaurant's quarter he got wind of the most delicious fragrance he has ever experienced; and so as if he were hypnotized he almost glided to the source of the fragrance while the three girls were unable to stop him as he just dragged them effortlessly.

Following his nose like the best hound Naruto found the food stand he was looking for; the place was comparatively smaller than the surrounding ones but it had a warm atmosphere that no other could rival. Getting under the small binders that hung from the roof Naruto took a seat on one of the several empty stools and waited to be serviced.

From the kitchen, a young girl just a few years older than him came wearing a white cook's uniform with a white scarf on her brown hair. She was fair to look at and though she lacked the unique elements from the many girls he has encountered so far, she radiated a unique aura of comfort and peace that immediately made Naruto forget about his current predicament.

"Hello there stranger, what do I serve you?" asked the girl with a godly smile.

"Hi! Sorry but I just got following the delicious smell, I don't even know what you serve…" said a strangely embarrassed Naruto.

"Oh, don't worry sweetie, actually I am quite glad you did. We serve Ramen, the best in the Land of Fire if I may add! We have several kinds and all at good price!" replied the smiling girl.

"Oh, sorry but I have never tasted it before. Please serve me the one you cook best" asked Naruto still feeling giddily on the inside.

Observing Naruto and his fine looks, the girl made a thinking gesture and clasped her hands "I know the kind that will fit you better! One pork Ramen coming right up!" and disappeared into the kitchen.

Soon enough the other girls entered the food stand and got seated as well while keeping a silent watch on the carefree Naruto who just had a dumb expression as he waited his meal.

Not long afterwards the girl brought a large bowl of steaming Ramen and placed it in front of Naruto and addressed the other girls "Oh! More customers! We don't get this many at midday; what do I get you?"

The girls replied almost at unison "We aren't hungry; we are just accompanying this fellow"

"Oh! You sure are the ladies man…no way!" said the girl with a surprised expression as she stared at an empty large bowl of Ramen and the blissful expression on Naruto's face.

The other girls were also impressed and disgusted by the celerity with which Naruto finished that bowl of Ramen, especially since it was recently cooked and scalding.

"More!" Naruto demanded startling the cooking girl who immediately jumped back into the kitchen and began to cook more Ramen.

"And bring of more flavors!" Naruto added as he had an expectant look about him.

The girls were about to tell him that it was time but as soon as Yugao tried to pry away the chop sticks from his hand, she was scared by an animalistic growl from Naruto and decided to seat back and wait until he was done.

One after another, large bowls of Ramen were almost instantly devoured by a bottomless Naruto who just kept asking for more. The girls had to seat at a corner as the counter started to get filled with empty bowls piled on top of each other.

The exhausted girl finally brought the last bowl of Ramen and dropped to her knees sweating and panting, not even in her training days did she worked so hard "That's it, that's the last bowl of Ramen; I don't have more ingredients so please let it be the last one!"

Naruto slurped the last noodles from the bowl and let out a very content sigh "Man that has to be the best thing I have ever tasted in my entire life!" Naruto proclaimed loudly and not caring who listened.

As he patted his now full stomach, he jumped to the other side of the counter and lifted the girl in his arms in a bridal style "What's your name?" asked with a bright smile while looking directly into her eyes.

At this the girl finally took into the man's attractive looks and the compromising situation she was into, making her blush like a tomato "Ayame Ichiraku sir, glad you enjoyed your meal"

Smiling even more Naruto said "Enjoyed? That was a whole new experience! If I had only known something like this existed I would have looked for you since I stepped out of my home!"

This made Ayame blush even harder and start to stutter, sure she have had her fair number of suitors but she knew the best and most attractive guys out there always looked for the strong and beautiful of the clan, not the Ramen girl

"That's very gracious from you sir…" replied the poor girl as Naruto finally set her down on her feet.

"My dad told me not to without his approval but if I did, I wouldn't mind marrying you!" said Naruto in a joking sense though the little Ayame got stuck in the word Marrying, which made her make a couple of unidentifiable sounds and pass out over the shock.

"Oh! Guess she was very tired after all that cooking" said Naruto placing her comfortably against the counter and leaving five of his prized gold coins.

"Hope those coins are enough to pay for the whole meal, well I'll make sure to come back some other time!" said Naruto placing the "Closed" board on the counter and stepping out of the stand stretching.

"Alright girls I am ready to see this master of yours!" exclaimed a very satisfied and carefree Naruto as the dumbstruck girls followed in his joyous wake.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The rest of the journey went without much trouble as Naruto in higher spirits stopped at every turn to try and peek at something interesting as the city was by far the most diverse and strange. Kurenai stated proudly that given the inclusive nature of the clan, people from all over the Land of Fire and other elemental lands had contributed to the clan's greatness and diversity.

Yugao said that her ancestors came from the warring clans in the Land of Lighting while Anko and Kurenai's ancestors were from the small Samurai lands between the great elemental nations.

Naruto nodded eagerly at this information for it truly was amazing and he had to admit this clan seemed by far the most likable so far. Here people moved on in life according to their merits and everyone managed to keep their own traditions from old. This as well also brought the question from where did his mother hailed from.

As they approached the palace, Naruto saw again in the dark of the alleys more white skulls painted on the walls and the words "The Truth of Jashin shall set you free!" scribbled beneath them. But when he tried to ask, the three girls seemed rather upset about it and evaded to answer.

Crossing the courtyard Naruto noticed large obsidian stones shaped like Kunai, and closer inspection showed the countless inscriptions on them. Kurenai said that those were monuments where the names of every warrior who perished in service of the clan were placed as to be remembered as heroes. Every name was written together and without distinction of rank or fame.

Upon entering the palace Naruto was once again struck with away as the walls were richly decorated with paintings and the halls filled with statues of past heroes of the Sarutobi painted in the now classic red of everything in this land.

The three girls escorted Naruto deep into the palace when they finally reached the throne room where an empty large throne stood with wooden flames behind it.

Naruto just stood in the middle of the grand salon while Yugao split to ask an attendant for her master's whereabouts, but before she gave a few steps a servant told them that the Lord would meet them at his office.

Kurenai nodded gratefully while Anko mumbled "Lazy old man!" drawing Naruto's attention over what kind of relationship they had with their commanding officer.

Walking behind the throne they were directed towards a false door that would be invisible unless you were really close and even then, only a trained eye would see the splitting on the wall. The false doors slid without making a sound and were received by a rather strange sight for such a grand and solemn palace.

A cozy office with a large and much worn out desk full of papers thrown here and there and a mug of coffee which apparently was made by his grandson given the poorly written message on it and it's uneven sides. The man behind the desk wore white and red robes which covered his entire body and on a hook by the wall was a funny looking hat with the word "Will" written on red.

In front of the desk there were other two elderly looking persons who directed their old but sharp eyes at the new arrival scanning him thoroughly. They nodded to each other and excusing themselves left the room, not without sending a scornful look at Anko who in turn just stuck out her tongue like a child.

The old man was starting to go bald though he still held much of his hair, which was now grey and turning white. He had a goatee of the same kind and marks under his eyes like three black lines sprouting from his eyes towards his aged cheeks.

The man clearly had sharp eyes but unlike many experienced ninja Naruto have met, there was also a lot of life, kindness and mercy in them. But then again, there was also a lot of weight in there.

The man eyed Naruto from head to toes and back again as if he was uncertain about something; but shrugging that away he smiled brightly and said "Welcome young man, allow me to properly receive you among the Sarutobi. My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current clan leader and apparently going to be so until my death since they won't let me retire!"

Naruto wasn't exactly sure of what to reply to the last comment of the aged leader and just extended his arm to greet him "A pleasure sir, I can't say my first days among your people were exactly the best but I have had worse"

The old man laughed heartily and invited Naruto to take a seat as he sat back and lit and old wooden pipe. The three girls stood firmly behind waiting for an order or a dismissal but Hiruzen just told them to wander around in his office if they pleased, as he wasn't done with them and apparently didn't cared that his conversation with the him was heard.

"If I may, how do you know me? I haven't introduced myself yet" asked Naruto still feeling somewhat uneasy of Hiruzen's friendliness.

Taking a blow from his pipe Hiruzen replied "Well, you have made quite a name for yourself young man, not every day does a Sage wander around and decides to start fixing everything that is wrong in the Land of Fire! Swaying the Senju princess and her apprentice, stopping foreign criminals, saving a neutral land and setting peace among the Hyuuga is no small feat I tell you!"

Naruto became even more embarrassed as the three girls directed surprised looks at him, apparently they didn't knew who he was and the news came as a shock, seeing how young he was.

"I only did what my duty calls for, there is no need to be so impressed" said Naruto trying to diminish his feats, after all many of them were while in company of great and fine ninja.

"Humble too! This is almost too good!" said the man between laughs "Apparently Jiraiya raised a good man after all…" finished saying in a now calmed tone.

"Jiraiya?" asked in unison the three girls as if Hiruzen just said something forbidden.

"You know my father?" asked Naruto making the three girls drop their jaws as once again began to inspect him as if looking for something in his face.

"Know him? I trained him since he was a little boy! He wasn't exactly my brightest student but he was certainly fun to have around!" said the old man remembering when Jiraiya first invited him to his "research" journeys at the sweet age of twelve years old.

"He was a Sarutobi ninja?" asked Naruto with honest eagerness.

"He was going to…but something happened; during a training to teach him about summoning creatures he didn't signed the contract and still performed the signs. He was summoned to the Myoboku Mountain, home of the Toads, and there he was taught the arts of the Sage. He kept training under my wing for some years but eventually he decided one day to dedicate fully to his duties as a Sage, thus he abandoned the clan" spoke the old man between blows from his pipe.

"Wow, he never told me he belonged to a clan, it was always he and me, and the toads that is…" replied Naruto.

"Can't believe that pervert had a son!" said Anko breaking the solemn mood that had settled making the old Hiruzen laugh slightly acknowledging Anko's true words.

"You must have inherited everything from your mother if that guy truly is your father! And she must have been quite the looker!" added Anko earning modest nods from Yugao and Kurenai.

Naruto then realized something and quickly asked Hiruzen "By any chance was my mother too from this clan?"

Seeing the hopeful gaze in Naruto's face, Hiruzen was heartbroken to say "Sorry but no, your looks are very unique Naruto and the only ones with traits like yours live far in the north at the Land of Lightning. And your father never told me who your mother was; he only said that it was too painful to speak about her…"

"Is she even alive?" added Naruto.

"Don't know, Jiraiya just told me he now had a son and was training him to succeed him. Beyond that he always remained silent about anything I asked about you and it has been almost ten years since I last saw him" spoke Hiruzen calmly.

"Oh well, guess she is gone too then" said Naruto earning uncomfortable looks from the girls and a sympathetic one from Hiruzen.

"It has been good and all, but I think it is time we talk business Naruto. Since you have the goal to fix everything that's wrong on this land, then I have a request for you" said Hiruzen turning his pipe down and getting into all seriousness changing his demeanor completely.

"If it's within my power then of course I'll help" replied an also serious looking Naruto.

"Then I want to ask you to take my place as the future clan leader of the Sarutobi…" said Hiruzen waiting for his words to fully set in.

The three girls stood frozen as they just couldn't believe he was offering the most important position to a stranger. Sure he was Jiraiya's child but a foreigner nonetheless and one who barely knew anything about their clan.

Naruto on his side was rather surprised but after listening to Hiruzen's account of his father he remembered the succession issues the Sarutobi were facing.

"Is this because of the succession issue? Because I am a Sage and that would be to renounce my vows as such" replied Naruto returning an equally serious look to Hiruzen.

Sighing a bit, Hiruzen sat back on his chair "It seems that our woes are heard of even among the troubles of others. I am afraid that it is true, our clan is based on a meritocracy where the skilled are promoted to positions of power and leadership. And that so far has been a system that works and has brought us a lot of victories and much importance, but sometimes the truly talented are the worst kind of person's for a charge"

"As you know I am a living relic of the ninja age and my years are growing shorter by the minute, my health is no longer what it used to be and though I have been fortunate many times, I am afraid I am no longer capable of holding back the passing of time. This past ten years have been of peace, but all around me new talents have sprouted and grown very strong, Tsunade has an apprentice that already knows almost as much as she does, the Uchiha were blessed with truly talented children and the Hyuuga aren't that far behind. I considered relenting my position and allow the new generation to take the future for themselves, but…" stopped Hiruzen as if pained by a memory.

"But I am afraid the Sarutobi has not been so blessed, my son had talent and the heart in the right place but given we live in a meritocracy, my son wasn't necessarily the next leader. Another ninja made the claim to lead the Sarutobi and my son recklessly challenged him for that right" continued Hiruzen looking even more somber.

"My son severely underestimated this ninja and lost his life in the duel…After that I interviewed the ninja who won the duel and decided that such a man can never claim the leadership of the Sarutobi. So I have been postponing my decision for about a year now, waiting for someone strong enough to make the claim…" finished saying Hiruzen.

"And you want me to take the challenge and rid the clan from him…But even if I accept to defeat him, I am not a Sarutobi, I can't take your place" replied Naruto sadly knowing that a father would ask for vengeance but a leader can't indulge in such things.

"You are Jiraiya's child and though he abandoned us, I never removed his name from the records. Perhaps in hope that he would return someday, but still that makes you one of our own by a technicality. People may not accept it but a victory against this man should suffice to quiet down his followers and give me time to prepare a better leader" said Hiruzen.

"Does this have anything to do with the burnt buildings and the writing on the walls?" asked Naruto.

"So you saw them; yes this man claims a religion based on an old god of destruction and death called Jashin. Though the clan seems peaceful and going on with life, the truth is that a lot of people is scared of a future without me; And its very understandable, three generations have seen me as their leader for almost sixty years and given the short life span of a ninja during the wars, I am all these good people has known. This man is offering certainty with the message of death and destruction which has been a constant throughout the wars in the Land of Fire, this gives them solace on the face of losing me" continued Hiruzen making the three girls cast looks of sadness.

"But this man is a deranged monster who bases his strength in a forbidden Jutsu! And so he must be stopped from plunging this clan into madness and chaos! So if only for now, please take an old man's request and consider it for tonight…" pleaded Hiruzen as he clearly didn't have much options.

"And why don't you use other means to get rid of him?" asked Naruto casting an inquisitive look to Hiruzen.

"He had, and we failed miserably! His forbidden Jutsu makes him nigh immortal! No poison or weapon worked with him, we barely made it out with our lives from that attempt" exclaimed Anko.

Naruto turned to look at the three girls who redirected their sight back at him.

"You do realize the implications of a Sage joining with a particular clan? No one would trust me or welcome me again as they would fear me a spy…and I have made many important acquaintances among them as to guarantee that conflict would be first negotiated at least" replied Naruto reminding Hiruzen his duty as a Sage.

"I see…I won't force your hand Naruto but do take into consideration that if that madman reaches my position he will unleash his lunacy all over my beloved clan and soon afterwards upon the rest of the Land of Fire. The truce I worked so hard for ten years ago would shatter and it's unlikely it would stop this time, with or without your help" spoke Hiruzen slumping into his chair.

"Let's say I remove this man from the equation, what then? If people hear I had something to do with it, I won't be able to show my face in this clan again. His followers would riot and others within your clan would feel that your system works to a certain degree, it could generate you a lot of trouble to keep ruling…" said Naruto more wisely than Hiruzen expected.

"True, but even then, I would relinquish my position to someone of better heart. Besides I offer you to make certain no one know of your deed…" replied Hiruzen with a steely gaze.

"I'll have to think about it…" said Naruto getting up from the chair he was seated.

"Please do…" answered Hiruzen as he nodded for the three girls

"Please escort our guest to the guest room at the observatory of the palace…"Hiruzen finished as he turned around on his chair to stare at the setting sun.

Naruto walked out of the room without addressing the girls, the girls looked at each other and followed Naruto out of the office.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto walked slowly as he followed Kurenai through the now darkened halls of the palace, the other two girls followed him in their escort formation though the atmosphere was less joyous and more somber given that few people refused the kind leader.

"Sage boy...we truly need your help with this thing...we tried our best and we couldn't bring that beast down" said Anko breaking the silence as they approached Naruto's room for the night.

"Call me Naruto, and I do realize how dire your situation is, but thinking ahead is a very valuable advice a friend gave me some time ago…I want to help, but I must take into account the possible repercussions of me getting involved in such a way" replied a smiling Naruto trying to reassure the troubled Anko.

"Maybe I could convince you…" said Anko caressing Naruto's arm in a suggestive way.

Naruto took her hand gently off him and looking directly into her eyes said "Don't give yourself so lightly, It's beneath you...Instead have faith that things will work out"

Anko felt somewhat ashamed for some reason and was the first to break formation and leave.

"Please excuse her behavior lord Sage, she hasn't have an easy time among our clan and is prone to such acts" apologized Kurenai as they kept walking.

"Why? I noticed the other elderly people saw her with some contempt" replied Naruto interested in Anko's mystery.

"Let's say she was unfortunate in her upbringing as a warrior from this clan…" added Yugao clearly worried about her teammate.

"Don't mind her too much sir, this is your room; dinner will be brought shortly" said Kurenai bowing a little and going back.

"Thanks, and please just call me Naruto…" said Naruto as he entered the room the dark room.

The girls nodded and went in Anko's direction.

Upon entering the room, Naruto felt he wasn't entirely alone and to his suspicion a candle was lit on a small table revealing a heavily bandaged old man with a steely face and a young extremely pale man standing behind him in absolute stillness.

Not losing his cool, Naruto drew softly his tri pointed kunai and remained close to the door.

"That won't be necessary lord Sage, if I wanted to do any harm to you I would have done so when the kunoichi were bringing you here; as we stand we are hardly a challenge to a fabled Sage" said the old man inviting Naruto to take a seat across him as the young man served them both green tea.

"And who you might be?" asked Naruto as he cautiously sniffed his tea and proceeded to drink it.

"My name would be Danzo Shimura, and I am the chief advisor of the Sarutobi clan" replied the man drinking calmly from his own cup.

Naruto's expression shifted very little as he remembered Hinata's warning about this man and the bad vibe he emitted. Sadly Hinata only said that this man gave her the creeps without further sustention.

Danzo began speaking "From your reaction I could tell you have heard of me before; that's hardly good for a ninja if you ask me"

Naruto was slightly surprised that Danzo managed to catch his own reaction in such a dim light and when he had been careful not to give it away so easily.

"Guess that depends on the ninja…" carefully replied Naruto, choosing his own words.

"True, it is to my understanding that Hiruzen already gave you a formal welcoming to the clan and most likely requested you to rid us from our current predicament. I am here to offer you further assistance in this matter" Danzo said signaling the man to bring something.

The man grabbed a notebook from his small pack on his leg and opened it on two pages, one had the drawing of a mad looking man with his hair combed back and the other had his face covered and though it clearly had dead eyes on him.

Thinking the drawings were superb, Naruto quieted down his admiration for the young man's artistic skills and added "Who are they?"

"Hidan, the self proclaimed prophet of Jashin and killer of Asuma Sarutobi, currently Hiruzen's and mine's headache. The other is called Kakuzu, a much more sinister man who barely allows himself to be seen but I have confirmed he works with Hidan" said Danzo.

"Are they Sarutobi ninja?" asked Naruto.

"Hidan became one at the end of the last war, as for Kakuzu, we don't have any record on him or anyone with such a name among our ranks. But he has been dodgy at best and no one has seen him fight so far, though we suspect he is a ninja as well" continued Danzo as he signaled the young man to step back.

"Why are you showing me this? I haven't decided anything yet" said Naruto.

"I understand your duties as a Sage better than anyone in this clan, and given that Hiruzen is a more emotional man, he may have failed to convey the proper measure of the threat these two men pose for the entirety of the Land of Fire" said Danzo.

"And why are they such a threat? Even if they reach power they wouldn't be able to do much without everyone else's approval, no one would follow a mad man" replied Naruto sipping his tea.

"Ideally that would be true, but he has been quite smart by using that religion of his. As you know the ninja of Sarutobi are united under doctrine since our inclusive nature denies the family ties the other clans of Fire share in common. So to have a common identity Hiruzen adopted an old tradition of his clan and made it clan wide so everyone had a common banner to rally under" explained Danzo taking away the more noble aspects of the Will of Fire and explaining its use as a tool.

"The Will of Fire has seen us through grave times and several wars but now that its strongest advocate is old and close to retirement, people are uncertain of what to believe anymore and this confusion brings much fear to the general population and our warriors. Hidan has come up with this new religion of his and after his victory over Asuma it acquired a lot of followers who have been causing much unrest among the nonbelievers" continued Danzo hoping the severity of his words to settle in the mind of the Sage.

"As I said to Lord Sarutobi, if I intervene, my position as an agent of order among the clans would be shattered, I would be seen as a Sarutobi and thus treated like one. Even if this is a grim possibility for your clan, he made the claim of leadership within your own clan's rules, I can't do anything about that" replied a tired Naruto.

"You don't understand how religion works do you Lord Sage? Philosophies and religions transcend borders and clans, if Hidan reaches the position of clan leader, he would use the clan's resources to spread his religion to the rest of the Land of Fire!" exclaimed a slightly irate Danzo.

"And what makes his religion so bad or different to your Will of Fire?" asked Naruto with renewed interest for the two battling ways.

"Many years ago, Hiruzen inherited a much smaller Sarutobi clan than it is today as many ninja families had claimed small portions of land for their own and they would band together when faced with a common threat, like the Uchiha incursions or territorial claims from the Senju or the Hyuuga. The Sarutobi would then rally them together and lead them as the biggest clan around, but that way would ensure that we would never truly become a power on these lands; so he took an ancient Sarutobi belief and taught it to the other ninja families" started to tell Danzo.

"The many families that inhabited these lands liked the proposal and the merit system Hiruzen brought with him, and upon seeing his strength as a ninja very few had anything bad to say about his belief. This unified the clan and gave us a powerbase like never before which allowed us to expand our territories and treasury in an exponential manner" continued Danzo.

"Under his skillful leadership and bright ideas the Sarutobi rose in power greatly and soon enough was accounted among the great clans of Fire" said Danzo as he stopped to drink some more tea.

"His philosophy proved to be our strongest weapon as our clan lacks kekei genkais of its own unlike the other great clans. The Will of Fire to fight for our homes and our right to be free compelled our warriors to fight harder and in more creative ways thus giving us an edge on the troop morale" explained Danzo with a tint of contempt as he clearly didn't commune with the philosophy.

"On the other hand the cult of Jashin speaks of two great certainties in life, death and destruction. By becoming instruments of both, one no longer has to fear or doubt, you only embrace this two elements and bring them to everything around you. A Philosophy of conquest and war in a few words, driving people into blood frenzy…" continued Danzo with a small hint of praise over the simplicity of such belief.

"A blood frenzy that would drive our entire nation to war with the other powers of Fire, as Hidan would probably want to unify the entire land through his faith. Speaking coldly, he would unleash a war of faith from which there is no real settlement or goal but total domination, a senseless conflict to bring everyone into his fold and destroy the rest. As a Sage your work would be to stop this while it is still a minor conflict within the clan's borders" finished Danzo.

"And how exactly do you suppose I do this without being labeled a Sarutobi ninja? Or be deemed a puppet of Hiruzen? This is still an internal conflict about succession not religions, even if I wanted to help, how I would keep my status as an independent factor?" replied Naruto.

"A mere technicality, all you need to do is prevent Hidan from reaching the position of clan leader, not kill him, as for this Kakuzu person, he has been acting from the shadows all this time, it's likely he won't do much to help Hidan unless he discovers himself first" added Danzo with a creepy smile.

"What do you mean?" asked a puzzled Naruto.

"As a Sage and the son of a former Sarutobi, your word would hold much weight with public opinion. Also if you happen to sponsor another candidate to lead the Sarutobi, people wouldn't mind much since you would only be showing a sign of friendship and good will towards the clan, as you have for the other great clans of Fire" continued Danzo.

"But who among your clan has the strength to overcome Hidan's strength and popularity? He has followers I presume" continued Naruto intrigued by the option Danzo presented to him.

"We have many strong ninjas and leaders among our ranks, people flock to Hidan because he offers certainty and power, but if a Sage, a man of great strength and wisdom were to appease them and offer them a better candidate I am certain they would flee from Hidan in moments" finished Danzo still with that creepy smile plastered on his face.

"Do you have a candidate in mind?" asked Naruto with a pensive look.

"Why yes, one that would certainly reach to most of our population though I would like you to speak with him first. He is rather young and quite the troublemaker, but he should be a fine candidate" said Danzo with a satisfied smile as he ordered his aide to refill his cup with hot tea.

**AN: Done!**

**Hi everyone, long, long time no see my good readers!**

**I am so sorry it took me so freaking long to update but after the Hyuuga arc I was spent and had no idea of what to write for the Sarutobi, and new ideas flooded my mind to write new stories.**

**Some probably noted that I started to write a NaruSaku/NaruHarem story inspired by Rosario+Vampire and so far I am in chapter 6 and its having a great reception so I focused my energies there for a while.**

**But since I made a promise to finish everything I start, I managed to come up with this chapter for The Wandering Sage and know that I am already writing the next one. Though don't expect this arc to be particularly long as I already want Naruto to start travelling the rest of the world and forward the main story.**

**I want to thank you all for your patience and devotion for this story and ask you all to don't give up on me as I am going to finish this!**

**As always…**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	27. New Tricks

**Chapter 26: New Tricks**

Naruto had agreed with Danzo to speak with this possible candidate for succession and so Danzo's aide would take him to the person early next morning as he was scheduled to be training.

The young man had introduced himself as Sai and nothing else as he smiled in an all too friendly way to Naruto who in turn didn't knew what to make of the strange pale guy.

Naruto had his breakfast brought by the very young man and had a very awkward moment as Sai never stopped smiling as he watched silently Naruto eat his breakfast. To say Naruto was largely unsatisfied was an understatement.

As they both finally departed for the training grounds, Naruto couldn't stand Sai's good mood anymore and asked "Why are you always smiling? Is there any reason in particular?"

Sai smiled again and replied casually "I was told to train my social skills so I wouldn't bother you Lord Sage, so after reading some books on the subject I learned that the best way to deal with annoying tasks or people is to smile"

Naruto almost fell to the ground after that response as he couldn't believe someone could be so frank and direct, so he had to ask "Say, for which one you are smiling right now?"

Sai smiled again and said "I would say that both, but let us hurry, the sooner we get there the better" and kept walking as Naruto was left behind dumbstruck. This guy was even more annoying than Sasuke when they first met.

"Is it something personal?" asked Naruto.

"Not at all Lord Sage, I just find people to be annoying and these tasks even more so. As far as it goes I don't have any other opinion about you at all, or any other person for that matter" replied Sai with a blank expression as no clear emotion could be read on his face.

"Then why you do things you find irritating?" asked Naruto, intrigued by the rather unique fellow.

"Because I was ordered to, so I do so independently of what I think or want" replied Sai starting to walk again.

"Weird guy…" thought Naruto.

**At the training grounds…**

Sai led Naruto to a wide open space filled with dirt and several environments of combat; patches of trees, a pond, dry land, grass and a few mock houses.

"These are the training grounds?" asked Naruto to which Sai replied with a smile and a nod.

This made Naruto get a bit more irritated knowing what that smile really meant but instead of insulting Sai his attention was brought to the field as someone land crashed in the middle in a very painful way.

Immediately after, Yugao descended on top placing her sword at her opponent's throat declaring an easy victory for the kunoichi.

The boy underneath exhaled clearly exhausted and raised his hands in obvious submission to the superior warrior.

Yugao stepped back sheathing her blade and extending a hand to the defeated opponent, but the boy slapped it away as he got back to his feet cleaning his clothes and rubbing his bruises with a very irritated scowl on the face.

The boy was the same height as Yugao indicating his younger age; he had tanned white skin, a boyish look to his face as he made the transition to maturity. He carried the distinctive Sarutobi headband and a pair of rather unique kunai which looked like a combination of one edged blades and brass knuckles.

The boy said "Jeez Yugao, you can go easy on me you know? It's not like I'll be marching to war tomorrow!"

Yugao blinked twice and approaching the boy she delivered a funny but painful karate chop to the boy's head "That's Yugao sensei for you! And I wasn't even going in full strength at you Lord Konohamaru; you have been neglecting your individual training again…"

"Who cares? I won't become clan leader anytime soon anyway, leave that to the truly strong" said Konohamaru stretching his arms as if training was over for the day.

"Lord Konohamaru!" tried to say Yugao only to be stopped by Konohamaru raised hand.

"Just drop it Yugao sensei!" and the boy walked towards Naruto.

The boy looked Naruto from head to toes and huffing he just went around him without a greeting or anything similar.

"Quite the brat, huh?" said Naruto looking at the retreating boy.

Sai smiled again showing something akin to agreement as Yugao approached Naruto

"Lord Naruto, I am very sorry for what you just witnessed!" said Yugao clearly embarrassed and somewhat worried over the display and the bad manners from the boy.

"Don't worry, who was him by the way?" asked Naruto dismissing the lack of manners.

"Konohamaru Sarutobi, only grandson to Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi, he is fifteen at the moment" replied Yugao.

"Sarutobi? Don't tell me he is the one Danzo referred to?" said Naruto to Sai who in turn once again smiled.

Naruto growled at Sai but taking a long breath he turned his attention to the distraught Yugao "Are you his sensei?"

"Me and the other girls; ever since his previous sensei got involved in some nasty business regarding the bathhouse we took to ourselves to teach the boy the three great elements of Ninja fighting" said Yugao inviting Naruto to take a seat on an observation bench.

"I teach him Taijutsu and the use of tools and weapons, Kurenai teaches him about Genjutsu and ninja smarts as for Anko, well she teaches him Ninjutsu and an unhealthy amount of curses" continued Yugao.

"Wow, how strange for someone to have three senseis, doesn't he grow confused?" asked Naruto as he sent a dirty look to the still smiling Sai.

"We are highly specialized kunoichi and we were asked to take over his formation as a ninja; but he turned out to be quite a problematic student" said Yugao with a frown as if she was confused on what she should do.

"Why? Is a he a bad student?" asked Naruto deciding to ignore Sai.

"It's not as much he is a bad student as he is a largely unmotivated one; you see he has large chakra reserves and good instincts, he definitively inherited much from his grandfather beyond his looks. But ever since he got separated from his teammates and former sensei, he got quite problematic though he kept training with good development" continued Yugao.

"Something happened then?" asked Naruto with a bit more of interest.

"About a year ago, the whole issue of Hidan broke out; Asuma Sarutobi went to challenge Hidan over the right of succession as he was truly concerned with the future of the clan if it fell in his hands. As you know Hidan won the fight and killed Asuma" said Yugao.

"The news struck Konohamaru very hard as his parents both perished in the last war and all he had left was uncle Asuma and grandpa Hiruzen to look after him. After that it has been a downward spiral as his skills have dulled and his interest degraded, now he spends reading magazines or trying to sneak into adult bookstores! It's almost as if he has decided to just give up and accept Hidan as our future clan leader…" finished saying Yugao.

"I see tough situation huh? Do you know where he is right now?" asked Naruto knowing that at least he had to try to bring the young man around.

"He is probably trying to sneak into one of those adult stores or with his former teammates" said Yugao letting out a sigh.

"Guess I should speak with him then…" said Naruto getting up.

"So you will help after all?" asked Yugao.

"The least I can do is try, I am still against fighting Hidan over the succession but a side approach to the conflict should be enough to change people's hearts. Konohamaru should be named the future clan leader" said Naruto as he nodded Sai to go.

"One last thing Yugao, what were those weapons Konohamaru was holding? Never seen something similar" asked Naruto as Sai smiled at his back.

"Those are custom built kunai; they were specifically made for Asuma's fighting style which involved heavy close quarters combat. He was very adept using them, especially when he infused them with wind chakra! Konohamaru took them despite not having wind chakra…" said Yugao with clear admiration for the weapons and their use.

"You can infuse elemental chakra into weapons?" asked a bewildered Naruto.

Blinking in surprise, Yugao couldn't believe that a Sage, a ninja of untold skill and strength never heard of one of the basics "Y-Y-Yes my Lord! You can infuse some elemental chakra into any ninja tool or weapon to make them sharper or stronger. Asuma's kunai are made with a special alloy which enhances the properties of the chakra infused into them"

Smiling to himself Naruto said to Yugao "Would you mind getting me a pair of those things? I have an idea to shape up Konohamaru, and I'll need your help along with Anko and Kurenai!"

Yugao blinked hard a couple of times and before she could reply Naruto had stormed after Konohamaru pulling a smiling Sai with him.

"Sure…" said a baffled Yugao.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Konohamaru was wandering the streets of Gran Fire in search of something interesting to do as he had learned the day before that Udon and Moegi had set off to another mission with Ebisu sensei.

"Boy! Am I bored!" said Konohamaru taking a long yawn as several passerbies looked at him with mixed feelings of sadness and pity.

Not caring about those things he just kept walking around until his eyes fell on one of his favorite targets for entertainment, the most recently built adult bookstore in the city. So far he had attempted an entrance some six times but every time he had been denied as the owner of the store happened to be veteran ninja who specialized at scouting which made it quite a formidable challenge for the young ninja.

"Alright today is a modified Henge!" said Konohamaru as he transformed into the shape of a comic book ninja who looked like a true veteran and quite tough.

Naruto and Sai had just arrived in time to see the young rascal transform and go into the store confidently.

Naruto was about to follow him but an smiling Sai told him to wait and see how things unfolded, and so they both waited while keeping their gaze on the store.

Soon enough there was a small sound of a boy screaming and the next thing was that the front door flung open and a battered Konohamaru was thrown through it, only to land on his face several meters away.

"Come back in two years! And stop trying to sneak in! You are too sloppy!" said the retired ninja as he slammed his door.

Nodding to Sai Naruto came out of the corner where they both hid while watching Konohamaru's failure.

"I would change tactics if I were you" said Naruto while offering a hand to Konohamaru.

Konohamaru slapped it away as he stood back.

"Like you would do any better…"replied Konohamaru while better examining Naruto.

"I could give it a try; but I don't see the reason to sneak into one of such stores" said Naruto while trying to pretend he didn't knew.

"Yeah right, but I am not doing it just for the goodies! I am doing it to become an invincible ninja!" said Konohamaru with conviction.

"Huh? You mean you are trying to train your infiltration techniques by testing yourself against a veteran?" replied Naruto trying to figure out how someone becomes strong by entering such a store.

"No you idiot! Inside there is a book which by holding onto it makes you an awesome ninja! If I get it then I can forget about training and beat anyone who gets in my way!" replied Konohamaru making Naruto and Sai blink with confusion.

Sai was about to comment on the idiocy of the idea but an excited Naruto beat him to it "Really? And that man posses such a relic with him? Why not share it with the rest of the clan?"

Sai couldn't help but smile awkwardly as none of his books could have ever prepared him for what he was witnessing.

Konohamaru's face then became irradiated by the happiness of finding a kindred soul and quickly crossed an arm over Naruto's shoulders.

"That's what I questioned myself with at the beginning but then I understood; you have to be worthy of it or else it won't work! If you manage to get in and get the prize then it will unleash all of your potential as recognition of your skill!" said an excited Konohamaru.

"Very well! Then I shall give it a try too! One can never be too strong!" replied an equally excited Naruto.

And so both ninja huddled up to discuss strategy while Sai just watched asking himself if perhaps all of this was just a test from Lord Danzo in order to improve his social skills, particularly patience and the ability to discern normal behavior from sheer stupidity.

"I see so you have tried all those things but so far you have been unsuccessful, he must be quite the veteran if he saw through your every scheme!" said Naruto to a nodding Konohamaru.

"I was thinking of maybe using smoke grenades but quickly dismissed it as I wouldn't be able to see my way through, besides the challenge is to get in and out without the store clerk noticing!" replied a serious sounding Konohamaru.

"Mmm, quite a dilemma my friend…"said Naruto thinking back on all the things he has learned since he began his training as a Sage.

"How have you approached the store so far?" asked Naruto to get a further insight in the store's clerk abilities.

"Well, I tried to enter through the roof, underground, lure him out, pay for a distraction, lie, dueling and finally begging without counting today's attempt" said Konohamaru with a certain glee of pride over his resourcefulness.

"That store clerk must be some sort of Sage of the secrets! But I know a couple of things about Sages and believe me, even they can be fooled! (After all I have been fooled quite recently…)" said Naruto with determination as he turned around to study the mighty fortress of the adult bookstore.

Thinking of his previous experiences Naruto thought about how he has been fooled quite a few times and decided for a strategy. He quickly huddled closer to Konohamaru and whispered to his ear earning a growing smile from the mischievous boy.

Naruto then went around a corner and a puff of smoke filled the alley, a few moments later a gorgeous girl came out of it dressed in a short kimono with the same colors of Naruto's red coat. The kimono barely contained its generous bust and it just grazed the line of her butt.

The girl itself was as tall as Naruto with his trademark whisker marks and a set of twin golden pigtails. Naruto then winked to a red faced Konohamaru who just couldn't believe the quality of the transformation.

"Very well Konohamaru, I'll lure the clerk out of the store and keep him busy for a few minutes, meanwhile you enter the store and take the treasure" said "Naruto" in a sensuous voice that made Konohamaru shiver with nervousness while he nodded.

Sai just kept watching unable to understand what the hell was happening and why does the Sage was playing into Konohamaru's stupidity.

Naruto walked and entered the store casually unnerved by the contents of it (After all his adventures have been quite "Adults only" at some points and parts) and walked straight to the clerk who sat behind the counter reading the "Sarutobi Weekly" without much interest for the customer.

"Excuse me sir, may I request your help?" said "Naruto" in the same voice "she" used before with Konohamaru, making the clerk grunt annoyed as he folded his newspaper and slam it rather harshly on the counter making "Naruto" flinch cutely.

The clerk was about to reply rather roughly but upon seeing his customer he was left speechless as he just checked the voluptuous girl.

"Excuse me mister, but would you be so kind as to help me with a problem?" repeated the "girl" blushing shyly under the clerk's perverted gaze over "her" body.

Putting down his wife's picture the clerk rubbed his hands together and smiling broadly replied quite nervous himself "O-Of course young lady, how can I be of help?"

"I heard that you used to be a Ninja and thought that you could help me find my cat, it got lost a couple of hours ago around here" said the girl pleadingly.

The clerk got a bit down over the request, he hadn't survived the last war to retire and be finding cats for dumb pretty girls. But just as he was going to politely refuse "Naruto" stopped him by watering "her" eyes and biting "her" lower lip.

"Please Mister, my family is very poor and they just bought me that cat for my birthday! I can't afford regular ninja!" said "Naruto" knowing that no one would refuse such a cute display, particularly a pervert working at an adult bookstore.

Sighing, the man stepped outside as "Naruto" managed to throw a pebble with which to keep open the door.

"She" quickly led the old clerk around a corner while Konohamaru raced towards the store and quickly got in.

"Naruto" stood waiting in the alley while the store clerk observed around not exactly sure he would find a cat, a rat maybe but not a cat that is.

Meanwhile Konohamaru managed to enter the store and taking a small moment to bask in the glory of the adult's world he went about to look for his legendary prize, the book that by just holding on to it would make him an invincible Ninja.

But as any sixteen year old boy there were just too many temptations within reach and so forgetting about the great prize he just started to browse throughout the most graphic content of the store…

Back in the alley "Naruto" waited patiently while directing smiles and more begs to the store clerk who kept looking for the non existing cat of the young "girl".

"Hope Konohamaru is done by now, a few more minutes and I won't be able to keep this guy busy, thank the gods I am quite adept with transformations!" thought "Naruto"

"Finally! It took me a while but here is your cat!" said the man startling "Naruto" who blinked hard as "she" couldn't believe that there was a cat after all.

The man placed a large mean looking cat on "Naruto's" arms and this one immediately growled with its scarred face knowing somehow that this wasn't a girl but a rather strange fellow. The store clerk left the alley right in time before the cat delivered a deadly barrage of scratches across Naruto's face.

Naruto stumbled out of the alley already transformed back into a man full of bloody scratch marks on his face while Konohamaru was sent flying out of the store empty handed by the angry looking store clerk.

Naruto sat next to Konohamaru and sighing he said "You didn't get the book right?"

Konohamaru turned around with a black eye but a triumphant smile "Nope, but I did saw a great treasure alright!"

"Figures…And what exactly is this legendary book? Been wondering for a while" asked Naruto as he got from the floor.

Konohamaru got to his feet as well and pulled a crumbled picture from his pocket and displayed it for Naruto. The picture had Kakashi in the middle of several defeated ninja while reading his favorite piece of literature.

Pointing to Kakashi's book Konohamaru said "See? That's the book he has carried throughout his career and he is one of the most powerful ninjas out there! That must be his trick for being to so good, or else how would you expect a boring looking pervert like him to be such a great ninja?"

Naruto felt like if something within him just burst and automatically delivered a punch to the top of Konohamaru's head while yelling "And you have been neglecting your training over finding an stupid easy way around? I happen to know Kakashi personally and though he is a pervert his talent has more to do with hard training and his Sharingan eye! Seriously!"

Rubbing his head Konohamaru stared at the angry blonde with something akin to tears in his eyes.

"Besides! Having that orange book with you doesn't make you any stronger!" said Naruto while pulling out his own signed copy of "Icha Icha Paradise!"

Blinking in surprise Konohamaru stared at the book in front of him, the smell of paper and the promise of forbidden knowledge made him drool and attempt to snatch the book from Naruto who immediately dodged Konohamaru.

"Sorry but you are too young to read this!" said Naruto putting back the book in his coat.

Konohamaru seeing that he wasn't going to have any more luck than with the store he knelt and bowed in deep respect while yelling "Boss, I am at your disposal, please make me worth of reading the forbidden knowledge!"

Just as Naruto was about to reply that he was underage and just couldn't read the book, Sai pulled him back for a moment "I am not entirely certain of what just happened but I believe this is the closest we will get to convince Master Konohamaru of taking his training seriously. Make him train and promise him you'll let him read that funny looking book"

Giving it a brief thought Naruto returned Sai a devious smile and winking he readdressed the still kneeling Konohamaru "Alright student! I'll make it my mission to make you ready to accept the forbidden knowledge but just as Kakashi, you have to become an extraordinarily strong ninja to achieve it! Until you are strong enough of to give me a run for my money, I won't lend you my book!"

Looking up from the ground the young Sarutobi stared back at Naruto with the most determined eyes he had seen or Sai for that matter, and replied "Yes Boss! I'll become the strongest and be worth!"

Winking a "Mission accomplished" to Sai he said in very formal tone "Then we go to where your senseis and apologize for your rude behavior and beg to start anew!"

Konohamaru made a crestfallen expression and nodded knowing that he was at a crossroads…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Yugao had called Kurenai and Anko to join her as requested by the Sage, now the three women waited together for the Sage to make his apparition.

"What are those for?" asked a bored Anko to Yugao who was cleaning and sharpening a set of special Kunai in the fashion of those from beloved Asuma.

"The Sage asked me for a pair of these; I think he wants to train with them" replied Yugao while focused on her work.

"What do you think he wants from us? I mean does he actually seem to have a plan?" asked Kurenai while looking up to the sky.

"He said that he would get Konohamaru to shape up, so I imagine he did though I don't know what to make of him; isn't he a bit too young to be called a Sage?" said Yugao while cleaning the kunai.

"Well the old man mentioned his feats, and those have already reached us, particularly his involvement with the Hyuuga thing; and what do you think of him swaying the Senju princess and her apprentice?" replied a grinning Anko as Kurenai and Yugao couldn't help but blush slightly pretending to not care about that bit of information.

Seeing their reddened faces Anko pressed on "I mean, though that isn't exactly a feat worth of a Sage is quite impressive given the rumors about those two and how they treat men!"

"Is this a subject we should be talking about? Or is just you slut?" replied a still red faced Yugao.

"Oh common! Think about it! This guy managed to bag those two and gods only know how many more in his travels! There's got to be a compelling reason for it, maybe a really big reason?" said Anko further getting more pictures into the other girls, after all she knew that neither of them have been getting too much action these days and work alone wasn't going to cut it.

Kurenai had been Asuma's lover and though his departure was trying she understood that their lives as ninja were short and brutal, she treasured her moments with him and moved on, but so far down the line she haven't been lucky with any guy since all of them seemed to respect the unofficial widow, when they never even got married!

As for Yugao, she likes to think herself as devoted to everything; her life as a ninja, her duties in the guard, her tutoring of Konohamaru and her loyalty to Hayate, her ever sickly boyfriend. But this last point was quite irking and trying for as much of a romantic that Hayate could be, his poor health came as a constant headache in their relationship, canceling trips to nice places, canceling dates because he was allergic to almost everything except rice and tofu and finally whenever she wanted to get down and dirty, Hayate was rarely up for the task and his constant coughing made it quite troublesome to make out without having a barrage of bacteria going down her throat into her lungs! So essentially she was frustrated beyond belief and having Anko smearing her success with guys all over the place made her even more upset.

Both girls in unison sent nasty looks to their teammate as she enjoyed a fresh stick of dango with a content smile. Though they couldn't really be angry at her, for where she was considered a tease or an easy picking for most, they knew that no man in the Sarutobi lands would ever come to really care for her…

Just as the two frustrated girls sighed letting go of their bad temper three men stepped in front of them; a battered Konohamaru sporting a black eye, a badly slashed Naruto and a creepy smiling Sai.

"What the…?" said Yugao not being able to understand the scene before her.

"Did you two get into a fight?" asked Kurenai also wondering how they came to be like that.

"Hahaha!" laughed Anko at their sight making the two damaged guys look somewhat embarrassed while Sai actually smiled for true, finally getting the funny part of the scene.

Naruto coughed a little and Konohamaru knelt immediately and bowing to his three senseis spoke loud and clear "I am very sorry for my lack of effort and appreciation for your efforts! Please let us begin anew and help me become the ninja this clan deserves!"

The three kunoichi went wide eyed as they just couldn't believe that the bratty and restless Konohamaru was asking for their forgiveness and showing real interest in starting anew with his training as a Ninja.

Kurenai was the first to react and with an awkward smile she replied "W-W-Well, of course we accept your apologies Lord Konohamaru, it will be our honor to help you become a great Ninja"

Yugao bowed her head acknowledging Konohamaru's intent while Anko threw the stick of her Dango at Konohamaru and with a wild grin she said "Very well, but we have a lot of ground to cover and if you dare to drop out again without our consent, I'll feed you to my snakes"

At this a thin grey snake slithered out from Anko's sleeve and coiled itself around her arm as it's forked tongue licked Anko's nose making the scene both dangerous and sexy, though Konohamaru was sweating cold as apparently he already had a close encounter with said creatures.

"Would you mind if I train with you guys? It's been a while since I last used my moves and I could use the workout" said a sheepish Naruto as suddenly the scratches across his face seemed less in number and intensity.

Yugao replied this time "It will be our honor Lord Sage to train by your side; I have the kunai you requested by the way"

"Thanks, that was very kind of you!" said a smiling Naruto as he took them from Yugao lightly gracing her hand.

Yugao remembering the conversation with Anko went slightly red, something either Kurenai or Anko ignored.

Meanwhile Konohamaru was stuttering and signaling at Naruto "Y-Y-You are a Sage?"

Scratching the back of his head Naruto replied "Guess I am, sorry for not introducing myself to you properly!"

**Sometime later…**

Konohamaru had been assigned for the rest of the day to run laps with applied weights as to help him recover his stamina while Naruto was being taught in the use of the combat kunai by Yugao. The close quarter weapons were far heavier than he had expected and threw him off balance at times as he accustomed himself to their weight and the required moves of blocking and counter attacking.

He had particular trouble with the new style as his frog style was more of dodging and counterattacking with swift moves; this style was much more aggressive and demanded great physical strength in order to sustain the blows from Yugao's ninjato on his arms.

Afterwards Naruto and Konohamaru participated in an induction to Elemental Chakra, Naruto already knew his two natures and had an ample repertoire of Jutsu based on them, while Konohamaru was of Fire and Earth like his grandfather. Naruto was particularly interested in applying the element to his newly acquired weapons to which both Anko and Yugao explained the best they could.

"Listen, when molding an element unto a weapon it's very similar to molding chakra, only that you take the element's nature as the basis of the molding" said Yugao with a chart behind her.

Naruto nodded affirmatively but he was clearly confused about the explanation.

"Basically, wind blows, fire burns, water wets, earth is rough and lightning sears; Wind if applied with enough care, precision and speed can make cuts. Applying wind to your weapon through chakra can make a razor sharp blade even sharper, stronger and the blade itself never dulled" added Anko simplifying the explaining.

"Alright and how do I do that? Whenever I make signs and blow wind or use water, the signs do the work for me" asked Naruto still having problems to fully understand the difference between chakra and elemental chakra.

"Mmm, when you use an elemental chakra Jutsu, you think of the intended results right? If you throw a fire ball then you inherently think of fire, the size of the ball, its speed and direction. You aren't fully aware of it but subconsciously you are manipulating the nature of the chakra being used in the Jutsu; in order to apply it on your weapons you have to do it consciously though there is a setback to using elemental chakra on weapons, you have to stop using it in order to use other Jutsu" continued Anko, as apparently she was very well learned in Ninja techniques.

"Why?" asked Naruto.

"Because molding chakra and elemental chakra at the same time its impossible; either you focus on one thing or the other, its similar to trying to watch left and right at the same time. Some theorists believe that a very powerful Ninja technique could be created if both styles could be fused but as I said no one has been capable of achieving this as it would require the best levels of control in both areas" finished Anko.

"You mean in something as this?" said Naruto while stretching his hand and making a Rasengan appear to everyone's amazement.

"What is that?" asked Anko while Kurenai, Yugao and Konohamaru approached the swirling blue ball of chakra.

"It's basically a ball of condensed chakra spinning in several directions, the moment it makes contact with the enemy it releases a powerful concentrated explosion of chakra that causes significant damage. So far it's one of my best moves. My father says that this is the ultimate form of Chakra molding" said Naruto keeping the Rasengan while the others observed it.

The Ninja observed it carefully and none of them had the slightest idea of how to even begin making something similar, this was an enormous amount of chakra concentrated in a very small place not to mention the effort it should take to keep the chakra spinning and concentrated at the same time.

Naruto dispersed it safely making the chakra emit a strong gust of wind that helped the others realize how powerful that technique could really be.

Anko was the first to speak "Wow, looks like mister Sage here do have the merits of his title; but listen brat, even if you have perfected chakra manipulation it is impossible to achieve perfect elemental chakra manipulation at the same time, as I said before, it's like looking in opposite directions at the same time"

"Oh well, I guess we will find that out once I learn how to properly control the elemental chakra" replied a smiling Naruto without much care.

"Teach me that!" screamed Konohamaru with big bright eyes as his respect for Naruto increased tenfold.

"Lord Konohamaru!" said Kurenai trying to chastise the young Ninja.

Naruto liked Konohamaru's attitude, it reminded of himself when Jiraiya showed him the Rasengan by the first time and after saying that he was too clumsy for such a high level technique, how he shouted that he would master it in just two weeks.

Placing a hand on Konohamaru's shoulder Naruto replied "Let's train hard with your senseis for a few weeks and if I am convinced that you have what it takes to be a great Ninja then I shall teach it to you! Give it your best Konohamaru!"

Konohamaru wanted to protest but instead he replied defiantly "You'll see! In a week I am going to show how much I have improved and then I'll master your technique!"

Naruto laughed heartily at the young ninja's enthusiasm and decided to call it a day after all it was becoming dark and he was quite drained not to mention that he had other business to attend to within Gran Fire.

Just as he was about to leave in Sai's company the three kunoichi asked him to wait.

"We wanted to thank you for this, we kind of felt helpless with the boy" said Yugao taking a deep bow.

"Thank you, this is very important for the clan and for his late relatives" added Kurenai.

"Thanks Sage boy! Say, my offer from the other night is still valid, what say you?" said Anko without shame and a broad smile as Kurenai and Yugao couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed to be friends with her at the moment.

Naruto laughed lightly and with a bright smile of his own he replied "I should be the one thanking you, you are teaching something new to me. But we can't sing victory yet, there is still time before we can say the clan is safe and sound"

Yugao and Kurenai nodded being reassured while Anko just stood there directing a somewhat angry gaze at the Sage.

Naruto looked at Anko and just said "I still think it's a bad idea…I mean I just!" but was cut short by a snorting Anko who just gave him the finger and went off.

Sighing Yugao and Kurenai went after their friend apologizing once more to Naruto for her rude behavior.

"It's only that she doesn't feel right when she says those things" thought Naruto as he started again after Sai towards another place of the city.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Back at the palace Danzo was once again waiting for the Sage in his quarters with just one candle lit in the middle of the darkness with the feint scent of green tea permeating the air.

"I am told that Lord Konohamaru has made a significant turnaround. I presume that some thanks are in order" said Danzo without emotion in his voice as the Sage took the chair across him.

"He has the heart in the right place though I can't tell yet if he is up to the challenge Hidan represents" added Naruto feeling more relaxed as he understood that Danzo was a true patriot though he really represented the darker side of one.

"Good thing I haven't been idle then. I had my people investigate Hidan and his mysterious companion, you'll find some interesting things about those two in this file, you are free to share it with the boy and his senseis if you feel the need for it though I advise you against revealing too much to Anko Mitarashi" said Danzo as he sipped his tea.

"I have been wandering for a while now, but what's the deal with Anko? Everyone in this clan seems to be quite accepting of each other except for Anko" said Naruto genuinely interested as why is Anko treated as some sort of pariah.

"I am afraid I can't tell you about that, all I can say is that even the noblest of the clans have their own darkness. It's up to the woman to explain if she wishes it, it's not like she does much to earn the love of this clan either" finished Danzo as he and Sai left the Sage to his tea and the light of a candle.

**AN: Done at last!**

**Boy has this story become hard to write! I am even considering about the future of this story as I am taking too long with every chapter.**

**The problem is that I have in mind the key elements to further the story and reach the end but getting there is proving to be tricky as the locations and the right characters elude me constantly.**

**For the time being I am considering ending it once I finish this arc and once I have the heart for it retake it with a sequel…**

**What do you think? Suggestions?**

**Anyway hope you like this addition and see you soon on my other projects.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	28. The Curse of Immortality

**Chapter 27: The Curse of Immortality**

"And with this it comes to ten thousand gold bars, a couple thousands more and I kiss good bye this clan…" said a gruff voice to no one in particular as his dead eyes kept marveled at the golden shine of thousands of gold bars arrayed in front of him in a dimly lit room where no one but him stood watchful over the considerable fortune.

Callous cold hands caressed the last of these bars with the care of a lover and his dead dark green eyes almost seemed to come back to life while entranced with its glow as if it was the most beautiful piece of art ever seen.

"Hidan may be crazy but I can't complain about his proficiency; I guess that even after becoming immortal his training as a Shinobi didn't dulled for a moment… But the best part are this simpletons among the Sarutobi, holders of a thousand victories and they are scared shitless about losing a living mummy to lead them…" continued in a low tone the masked man as if he knew something others didn't.

He kept touching his treasure absent mindedly until the ring of a bell disturbed him and forced an unpleasant growl from him.

"Calm down Kakuzu, earning your gold won't be always pleasant…" said Kakuzu as he rose from his kneeling position after carefully depositing the bar in its box and secured it under the floor of his room.

Taking his white and black ceremonial cloak he stepped outside where dozens of similarly clothed people hurried to the meeting the bell announced to the residents if the fortress they lived in and worked to satisfy the every need of their leader or more likely prophet…

**At the courtyard…**

Every resident of the fortress stepped outside to the courtyard and quickly assembled into neat ranks in front of an absurdly large black throne made of welded weapons of every sort which would make a person cringe with the idea of miss stepping on it and fall against its deadly edges which were already covered in dry blood.

As they noise produced by so many footsteps died the main door of the citadel slowly opened making the skeletons hung on them clank making an eerie introduction for the beloved leader of these clearly despaired people who sought him as a source of hope for the coming future.

A very tall and apparently healthy man in his mid-twenties strode forward showing half his chest while the other half remained concealed by his fine robe of black silk.

One could almost say that this man was handsome but no more than any other man in his prime, what made this man interesting even in the aged Kakuzu was the look in his eyes; the look on them belonged to something one rarely see in a lifetime and when it does it's for a brief moment.

The look of a man not afraid to anything, literally without fear as if every question in life had suddenly been answered to him and left him without nothing else to search for or wonder about. The look Kakuzu had seen in so many opponents throughout his long life just as they learned that victory was impossible and so they would just sell their lives as costly as possible though to no avail at all.

Kakuzu knew that Hidan's mind was beyond anything he or anyone could ever reach, and that left him with the perverse interest of thinking how does his thoughts looked like but quickly dismissed them as their sight would be maddening even to someone as seasoned as him.

Sighing sounding almost exasperated he just watched the grinning Hidan climb to his insane throne as his followers watched in awe as the sharpened edges made cuts into his body and these healed almost as quickly; he just couldn't conceive more stupid people to not see the abomination before their eyes.

Finally Hidan reached the top of his Throne and there he grabbed a giant three bladed scythe with which he made a long deep cut across his chest to the amazement of his followers as his blood spurted in a fountain spraying on the closest followers who saw it as some sort of blessing as they smeared it all over their faces.

After he had traversed the scythe over his torso Hidan let out a thunderous maniacal laughter while watching straight to the heavens with wide demented eyes trembling in ecstasy as his wound slowly closed.

After being done with it he placed his scythe by the side of the throne and proceeded to seat and with a large grin he began with clear voice "Praised be Jashin! The bringer of death and destruction! May his followers find immortality and happiness everlasting!"

"Praised be Jashin! Blessed be his prophet!" replied the assembled crowd with perfect unity making Hidan's grin grow even larger.

"Today we gather as every day to praise Jashin and acknowledge his fundamental truth! This is that of death and destruction upon all things! Be it by the hand of man, the claw of beast or the passing of time all things die and all things become ruined!" screamed Hidan to his amazed crowd.

"Everything in the world praises Jashin unknowingly but only those who acknowledge his miraculous hand can truly reap his rewards! And so my children you all have been blessed by his truth and in time with faith and hard work you can all become his chosen ones!" roared Hidan as he laughed maniacally with the cheering of his followers.

Just as the crowd went silent two scantily dressed women carefully made their way to the top of the throne avoiding its terrible edges and quickly proceeded to seat on Hidan's legs and began feeding him freshly cut grapes and give him sips of wine.

Re-addressing the crowd the grinning Hidan said "Soon we will have enough followers to begin the conversion of our foolish Sarutobi brothers and it is sad that we must dispense Jashin's gifts upon them but their old cowardly leader denied my rightful claim after his stubborn child fell in fair combat against me! Now we must ready ourselves and prepare to enlighten our lost brothers! Welcome every death in our ranks, enjoy your every wound and savor the blood in your mouth be it from them or your own! We shall take our holy crusade to their city and soon to all of the known lands!"

The crowd once more exploded in cheering as Kakuzu watched impassive, his long years often witness to charismatic leaders fooling desperate people into utter stupidity as rising against impossible odds or leading them into slavery; though Hidan was rather impressive he had to admit as these people had already begun to scar themselves as to prove their faith.

Feeling a strange uneasiness seep into his old skin, Kakuzu withdrew himself from the gathering and began walking across the currently empty halls of the fortress looking nervously at every corner and slightly holding his stride whenever he stood next to a closed door waiting for a rustling sound.

"Old as you are and I still get you Kakuzu, ever considered retiring?" asked a smooth grave voice from behind Kakuzu.

Kakuzu knew better than to turn as he already knew from who did this voice was, the only thing that had been bothering him so far was how did he attained the gift of immortality and how the hell did he kept catching him by surprise.

"Hidan is quite a thing isn't he? Not even my followers were that fanatical back then…" said the voice barely containing a laugh.

"He performs as expected, especially since he actually believes what he spouts" replied a growling Kakuzu.

"A shame someone of his caliber lost his mind to the elixir of life; life should be enjoyed to the fullest don't you think?" continued the voice.

"You can't expect a boy to handle such a thing with ease; you were exceptionally cruel to impose such a thing on a twelve year old" answered Kakuzu waiting until the voice went down to business.

"My bad, sometimes I forget human frailty; you know what I mean old friend…" finished the voice.

"Are we here to talk about Hidan's lunacy endlessly or have you come to give me more orders?" replied an angry Kakuzu.

"Fine, you can't blame for not having many acquaintances these days, most are dead you know? Anyway, the Sage boy is in these lands and he is already meddling with the affairs of this clan, as we speak he is training Sarutobi's grandson to face Hidan in combat" said the voice.

"Let him try, nothing can take Hidan down or me for that matter; his death would actually work better for us as Sarutobi would have no more card up his sleeve" replied a smiling Kakuzu.

"True enough, but I wouldn't underestimate the Sage he already knows of your existence and is in league with that old hawk of Danzo; you would be wise to take precautions just in case" said the voice.

"Young Danzo huh? He has certainly grown sharp but you should know that nothing can take us down; still the Sage does represent a major nuisance, my fee will increase again as you must understand" said Kakuzu sternly.

"Always the greedy one Kakuzu, haven't I promised you the Sarutobi's wealth already? What else would you want from me?" asked the amused voice.

"An answer, I know the truths of my life but yours seem to be even more interesting; if I carry on to the end then you'll tell me how the hell did you came back! You seem to be far better than I so I thought of you sharing a bit of your wealth" replied Kakuzu giving no space to argument.

"Ha ha ha! I always thought that if you ever re incarnated you would make a great merchant, but despite my best efforts you just wouldn't go down! Fine I'll tell you my secret but a warning old friend, careful with what you wish! There are some truths that not even you could handle" finished the voice returning to silence.

Kakuzu didn't reply as he knew that the person behind him was already gone to whatever place he had come from.

"Truth I can't handle? I lived long enough to realize a great many truths of life and that is that once you die that's it, there is no heaven or hell, just the void and it's endless silence. I realized this long before my rightful demise and I vanquished it! No glory or honor is enough, life should be enjoyed to its fullest and money may not buy happiness but does leaves you within a mile from it! Leave young idiots fight and die for small scraps of glory and land, in time their sacrifice and their valor would mean nothing! With money I can have a reprieve from this life's foolishness and reap the rewards of my sacrifice! Life is everything and no one will take it from me! Be it a Sage or a hundred, nothing will stop me!" thought Kakuzu as his eyes seemed full of fire and his killer intent slew every small insect within the halls of the fortress.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Almost a week has gone by since Naruto arrived with the Sarutobi and so far Konohamaru's training had improved by leaps and bounds; the boy never actually went out of shape, he was just lacking in interest and focus.

It was actually embarrassing as Naruto had to admit that Konohamaru possessed the natural talent to be a Shinobi he never had. Konohamaru absorbed skills and jutsu at a much faster way than he ever did and his chakra reserves were quite large as well.

Kurenai pointed out that was the reason of why the clan's hopes lay so heavily on his young shoulders, but still Konohamaru lacked the ever important actual experience of fighting against a real opponent in a life or death combat situation which made him dangerously inexperienced and Naruto had grim memories of the consequences.

Still he had to recognize that his teachers were drilling him very hard and so far the boy was meeting the expectative in a smooth fashion, at least smoother than him at his age and with far more scars to account for.

But Naruto knew that what was driving Konohamaru was the possibility of learning the Rasengan, and speaking of which he had been making significant progress with his own training thanks to his limitless stamina and the time saving use of shadow clones.

So far he was capable of infusing his combat kunai with wind element and to everyone's surprise the chakra edge of said weapons was so large that each could be used as twin blades or small scythes.

But beyond that he was more focused on acquiring a complete dominance of Nature chakra since infusing chakra into objects was a rather rudimentary and elemental use of such chakra and elemental chakra jutsu required an enormous amount of personal chakra and little of elemental.

He had been trying to focus entirely on the element itself and so far he had little success on solely focusing on the element itself without the use of tools or jutsu.

He was now seating with eyes closed as Konohamaru went about practicing his skill with the combat pole which as Yugao was kind enough to point was also his grandfather's weapon of choice, adding up to the startling similarities between the two relatives.

Sighing once more as he and his five other clones being unable to find an answer he dispelled them and stood up making a few stretches to alleviate his cramped muscles.

"Danzo's reports state that Hidan's followers keep increasing daily and they carry great tithes to afford their entrance into their fortress. What's worse is that several of the ninjas posted on far locations from the capital have started to flock to his side and his followers have started to incite minor incidents in other settlements" remembered Naruto from his continuous encounters with the old veteran.

"He says that Hidan's movement may turn revolutionary any day if Hiruzen delays his answer any longer…Man why am I always in the middle of this things? It's not even fun like when I went out with Sakura and Tsunade!" finished thinking Naruto when Anko blew a leaf in his face.

"Having trouble Sage boy?" said a grinning Anko who tossed him a bottle of water and a towel.

"It´s kind of hard to fully separate an element from other skills" replied Naruto with a broad smile as he was glad that Anko managed to return to her usual self after his continuous rejections, he had tried to ask about her standing in the clan but every time the pissed off Anko stormed on him not without insulting him in the process.

"That's because you aren't focusing the element properly; I assume you remember how you found out about your chakra nature right?" said Anko as she grabbed another leaf with her hand.

"You mean the chakra reactive paper right? It split when I applied some to it which in turn indicated that I was of wind chakra" replied Naruto as he held the leaf with his right hand.

"Correct, so the quickest way to fully grasp your chakra nature is by trying to do the same to any object; look and learn!" said Anko in earnest as she concentrated on the leaf in her hand.

Anko proceeded to cover the leaf with her hand and after exhaling some air she applied some chakra to it and when she uncovered the leaf, it has turned to brown dust which was blowed away by the breeze.

"That's earth chakra being applied to the object directly; no jutsu or tool in the middle, just cnature chakra directly applied! This way you manage to fully understand the elemental chakra and automatically enhances the power and efficiency of elemental based jutsu" said a wise sounding Anko as Naruto saw her with awe.

Looking at the lef in his hand, he covered it with his other and started to apply chakra but when he uncovered it the leaf remained intact making Naruto go crest fallen.

"Don't sweat it, it's slightly harder than it looks but with a couple of days you should land it neatly!" said Anko to encourage the already tired Sage who return her a gentle smile.

"That's a very neat advice you got there! Your sensei must have been very good!" said an enthusiastic Naruto believing that the subject might make such an strong kunoichi swell with pride but that notion was destroyed when Anko seemed to freeze in place and relax a moment after.

Smiling sadly she replied "Yeah he was the greatest of them all, he was invincible and a hero of the clan; in fact he was old Sarutobi's greatest student…"

Confused about Anko's words and expression Naruto said "Is something wrong?"

Keeping the sad smile on her face she denied it with her head and went about to take up on Konohamaru's without replying Naruto's question.

"She is too proud and too kind to share her story, not to mention that since you are a stranger she has been trying her best to cause a good impression on you; though she isn't doing it too well in my opinion…" said Kurenai as she took a seat next to Naruto cleaning the sweat from her forehead with a clean towel.

"I've been meaning to find out what's the deal with her but so far everyone has been very elusive and Anko just won't mention it to me. But it seems to be quite the big deal since people gives her the cold shoulder everywhere" said Naruto observing the sadistic Anko throwing a barrage of shuriken at the panicking Konohamaru.

"She just won't tell since she really wants you to like her, but she goes about it the wrong way in my opinion , she is still at odds with her past you see" continued Kurenai with a compassionate look.

"Does it have to do with her sensei? She seemed to change her mood when I casually mentioned it" said Naruto.

"Quite obvious isn't it? Yes his sensei the great and infamous Orochimaru, Lord Hiruzen's second and last student ever and perhaps among the greatest ninja the elemental lands have ever seen, he became one of our greatest heroes and won many battles during the last war" said Kurenai.

Naruto was quite shocked at the news, was Orochimaru truly that great? Could that man be even stronger than his own father as for others to ensure it? And Anko was his student? Wasn't that enough to feel extremely proud?

"But you see, anything can rise so high before it falls; In short Orochimaru betrayed us and when he left, Anko was left to bear the mark of his betrayal when she insisted on his innocence…The exact details remain a secret but everyone knows that he betrayed us and Anko was his student, so you can imagine how it was to be the proud student of the clan's hero and the next become a pariah forever marked by his actions…" said Kurenai falling silent.

Naruto nodded knowing what Kurenai meant, the Hyuuga had so much hatred in their hearts because of the slight made by others, true or imagined, it didn't mattered if some nobles were truly such and never committed and injustice against the cadet branch, for them all of the nobles were like the devil itself.

"She tried her best to shake down those opinions and always volunteered for dangerous missions and did her best to help people around the clan but no one changed their minds and more often than not the higher ups were surprised to see her still alive even after sending her to suicide missions. By all accounts she should be considered one of our heroes and a model of what our warriors should strive for but Orochimaru's mark is all everyone else saw" continued Kurenai.

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement but suddenly another question came about "And how did you and Yugao became her friends?"

Kurenai smiled as if reminded of something fun and replied "Well, about two years before the end of the last war lord Hiruzen assigned me and Yugao with Anko for a small infiltration mission in a neutral land where he suspected the Uchiha were amassing supplies to infiltrate our forward lines. The mission was to confirm this suspicion and measure the strength of the infiltration unit, of course we were weary of Anko's reputation and dreaded that she may go traitor during the mission so we always held weapons at hand to end her should the need arose"

Naruto shuddered at the thought of being accompanied by someone who might stab you in the back without warning but saw that Kurenai wanted to continue.

"By this time Anko was already a hardened girl without any expectative of liking us or us liking her so she just limited herself to take point and hiss instructions at us probably suspecting us as much as we suspected her and very likely ready to end us as quickly too; so you probably get an idea of how tense was the general mood in the team" continued Kurenai.

"To ease some of the atmosphere Yugao and I used to make small talk whenever Anko headed out to scout as she insisted on a job well done clearly stating her lack of trust on us; but once Anko caught Yugao complaining about Hayate's sneezing when they were making out and couldn't help but laugh out loud and while Yugao seemed like she was about to burst a vein I couldn't help but join Anko in the laughter and soon enough even Yugao giggled a bit" added Kurenai with an amused smile as Naruto also broke a grin at the idea of someone sneezing while making out.

"Afterwards things went much more smoothly among us and reached the enemy encampment only to see that the enemy had sped up things and were about to launch a surprise attack that could have easily brake our front lines and forced us into a very costly counter attack; so Anko decided to sabotage them and delay their advance while me and Yugao headed back to alert our troops and prepare a heavy defense" continued Kurenai once more picking Naruto's attention to her story.

"But Yugao and I wouldn't leave Anko behind since we learned that she wasn't the demon every one ought to make her, since she immediately volunteered to make her best when she could have easily went her way and let many of those who scorned her die at the Uchiha's advancing Ninjas; she made a fuss about it saying that it was too dangerous for inexperienced Kunoichi and that we would get killed and she would be blamed for it, but one could barely believe her as she was blushing and looked so utterly happy!" continued Kurenai as Naruto nodded with some tears of his own.

"Well, combining our specialties we managed to delay the Uchiha's advance force and our clan managed to stage an ambush for such forces later on dealing them a strong blow! We were richly rewarded for our valor but when several commanders dismissed Anko and praised Yugao and I alone we stood by her and announced to the entire clan that it was her plan and that she wanted to do it solo from the beginning; we didn't manage to make people trust Anko but at least they recognized her worth as a Kunoichi and started sending her in important missions with enough support as to improve her chances of coming back alive" continued Kurenai.

"But people still seems to treat her with a lot of suspicion and contempt!" replied Naruto still not understanding why hasn't Anko earned more respect from the clan.

"Well after we became friends with her she unilaterally decided that we were enough as friends so she didn't cared for others as long as we remained her friends! Not to mention that she actually does have a very nasty personality to begin with so despite her reputation improving slightly no one likes her at all…" said Kurenai.

"Well it is good to know that at least people around here doesn't want her dead 24/7 but that leaves me with a question; why is she so insistent on tempting me?" asked Naruto.

"You are an outsider and so she wants you to like her but she no longer remembers how to properly make friends with anyone, so she goes with what most men want…Not to mention that she is too proud to ask for advice…" finished a sighing Kurenai.

Naruto laughed awkwardly as he did had his own share of trouble making good friends in the beginning given that until this year the only other human being he had known was his father, and he was jerk most of the time.

"But do not let these words confuse you; though she has improved greatly with our companionship, she remains very fragile and untrusting for the stigma of her sensei remains deeply stuck in her mind. From the three of us, I believe she is the one who would fall the hardest…" finished Kurenai as Konohamaru dropped unconscious while wrapped in several snakes while Yugao screamed at a grinning Anko who used more forced than she needed.

Seeing her grin Naruto came up with an idea…

**AN: Done at last!**

**I know it feels kind of leaving the chapter at a half but I wanted to update already and I am behind my personal schedule with my other stories.**

**I hope this rendition is enough to sate your thirst since updates for this story have become very far and between!**

**Next chapter will have some NaruAnko for the followers of said pairing and the beginning of this arc's ending!**

**I am still undecided whether or not to end this story with this arc or keep it up till the end? I do have plans for more adventures for this sage but I think I need to take a rest and I don't want to put this on an extended hiatus. The plan is to write another story with Naruto's adventures in the other elemental lands and lastly another for the conclusion of his adventures and the fulfillment of his destiny.**

**Anyway, I am getting ahead of myself.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	29. Enchanting the Snake

**Chapter 28: Enchanting the Snake**

"Boy, and I always thought girls kept things more tidy!" said Naruto aloud making Anko stir from her alcohol induced sleep which came with very nasty wake ups the morning after.

Going for instinct Anko realized that someone was in her apartment so she produced a kunai from under her pillow and stood up facing the intruder who at the present was still a blur in front of her.

"Gods Anko, that's what you wear for sleeping?" said a now familiar male voice as the blur apparently turned around quickly in obvious embarrassment.

At this Anko scrubbed her eyes and finally managed to see the back of the tall sage and realize that they were presently at her place which by no means could or should be called a home.

Then Anko saw downwards and realized that she had went straight to bed after a nice round of her extra strong sake and changed into the much revealing rags that she thought were nightwear.

Covering her body and going back to roll herself in her sheets Anko growled with faked anger "Don't Sages ever knock? It's a crime to enter uninvited to someone else's home you know?"

"I did knock for fifteen minutes and went over to your window and saw you sprawled on your bed sleeping like a log!" replied Naruto stealing a small glimpse to see if Anko was more presentable.

Anko became slightly embarrassed since she had to pick yesterday of all days to get herself drunk to sleep but since no one but Yugao or Kurenai ever came to her place and already had keys, she never imagined someone else coming to visit her.

"Don't turn around or I'll gouge your eyes out!" growled Anko who said so more to hide the blush in her face than to hide her body from the Sage.

"Not that you hide much to begin with…" muttered an amused Naruto only to get a pillow thrown to his head.

Finally getting in her usual get up Anko spun Naruto around and grabbing him by the hem of his coat said "Now what the hell do you want? We said that today we would rest from training!"

"I came to see if you wanted to go out with me and show me around" said a smiling Naruto to Anko who stepped back in surprise.

"W-What? You barge into my house and ask me to give you a tour around the city? Ask Yugao or Kurenai, I have better things to do!" said Anko without the proper intent behind the words.

"Sorry but it has to be you; Yugao said that she needed to go with her boyfriend to the hospital as apparently he had woken with a nasty fever and Kurenai said she had to give a full report of Konohamaru's training to Lord Hiruzen. And both said you would probably doze off for the entire day so this was also to your benefit!" said Naruto with closed eyes and finger raised as if in giving a lecture.

"Those bitches!..." growled Anko knowing that both had dumped the Sage on her just because she never did anything on her free days.

But turning to see the bright smile on the Sage, Anko couldn't resist it much and sighing loudly she said "Fine, but keep the idiocy to a minimum! Besides this city is boring so you'll regret it by the time we are done!"

**Five minutes later…**

Anko and Naruto found themselves walking on the main street as the city roused to a new day of activity which as the times indicated felt a bit somber and thick with worry for the future that awaited the clan.

Still people had chores to perform and no internal struggles would change that reality, and so the citizenry set about to perform them with more dedication as to put off their fears in the corner while their minds focused heavily on their daily tasks.

The day had begun rather well in Naruto's mind but as soon as both had left Anko's place, they had felled into an awkward silence given that they both really didn't knew each other well enough as to spark an interesting conversation.

Not knowing what to say, Naruto's nose caught a peculiar smell that apparently had also caught Anko's attention though she didn't say anything.

Naruto was about to ask when a deep almost animal like growl made him stop in his tracks, so he quickly checked around for potential beasts lurking in the vicinity but the only thing he saw was Anko turning her head sideways while holding her stomach with both hands.

Naruto observed Anko with more intent and the moment another growl came from her belly she blushed and flashing her teeth said "What do you expect? You didn't give me time to have breakfast!"

Laughing at her, Naruto said "Don't worry, I know how it feels, grandpa always took me to train before breakfast so my stomach growled the whole time!"

Anko wasn't accustomed to someone being this gentle with her so the moment she also caught the smell she said "Well, if you are hungry too, I know a great place to have breakfast…"

"Really? To be honest I was also starting to feel hungry!" said Naruto with a bright expression that caught Anko by surprise and made her smile unknowingly.

Grinning slightly Anko straitened her back and signaling with her extended arm said "Very well, then you'll treat me to the undisputed best dish a low income can afford!"

And with that Anko started to walk with light feet with an awkwardly smiling Naruto in her toes trying to keep up the fast pace she established.

Soon enough both were standing in front of small food stand which had some steam and smoke rising from beneath the worn out tent made roof and on it the word "DANGO" was also worn and smoke stained.

Before Naruto could ask Anko about the place, the girl went under the roof and sat at one of the stools laid before the sizzling tray where some odd colored balls were being cooked by slow fire.

"Hey old man! Give me my fix and keep it coming, today I am being treated so I'm abusing someone else's wallet!" said Anko with glee as Naruto came to sit by her side grimacing at the prospect of having his toad shaped wallet defiled.

"Oh, Anko! What a surprise! Who's your friend you little tomboy?" asked the owner with a gruff voice as he went to prepare a large amount of his products obviously delighted at the prospect of starting well the day.

Laughing at the slight of the man Anko said while gleefully grabbing the first serving and said "This guy? He's the Sage who came to see the big old man! Over those idiots of the cult!"

The man froze for a second over the comment but the moment he examined Naruto he laughed and said "Don't joke with an old man Anko! I need my strength for the day an idiot tries to sell Dango in this town as well! This scrawny blondy can't be a Sage, they are like old and sagely you know?"

Naruto almost fell from his stool and said nothing though his eyebrow was twitching with annoyance for so far very few had believed at first he was a Sage. Apparently he needed to look like a hundred years old and wear a long beard!

Dismissing the man's comment he got a stick of Dango and imitating Anko proceeded to chew one of the steamy balls and after a few moments he spoke to Anko "Anko, this is actually very good! Not as good as Ramen but pretty darn close!"

At that comment Naruto suddenly felt a small trickle of something warm running down his face and when he opened his eyes he saw the edge of a long sharp knife barely grazing his cheek while a kunai held it in place.

Naruto almost felled backwards at the surprise and quickly covered the wound while directing a surprised star at the owner of the Dango stand.

"Calm down whiskers! He just doesn't like being compared with old Ichiraku, especially when people says he's better!" said Anko hitting back the knife and winking at the old man to stand down and acknowledge that Naruto just didn't knew what he was saying or to whom for that matter.

Anko turned around with a stick in her mouth to face the still surprised Naruto and beckoned him to stand up and get close which Naruto did while keeping an eye on the rough owner.

Removing his hand Anko licked the blood from Naruto's wound making him coil back slightly due to the strange sting which was quite sharp for some reason.

"Warm…wonder what else is warm about you…" said Anko licking her lips with her long tongue and making Naruto blush slightly and laugh awkwardly.

Having paid the man, Naruto and Anko returned to the main street and just kept on walking as the citizens began to pour in bigger numbers.

"So, are you interested in seeing temples, a museum, a library or what?" said Anko casually breaking the silence that had settled among them.

"Well, to be honest I am not sure! Say do you know somewhere fun?" said Naruto trying to not anger the girl.

"Well, there's a hotel nearby…"began to say Anko but at the grimacing face of Naruto she corrected and said "I know a small park not many visit anymore, so it's nice for a stroll if you want…"

**At the park…**

Anko had led Naruto to a secluded and apparently unkempt park with tall grass and overrunning vegetation over rusted benches and decaying stone work.

Naruto at first was going to make a comment over the poor state of the place and question Anko's definition of fun, but he remained quiet when she casted a forlorn look at an overgrown statue in the middle of the tall grass.

"Uhm Anko? Where exactly are we?" asked Naruto in a silent tone as not to break the solemn atmosphere of the place.

"This park and the statue over there used to be dedicated to my master Orochimaru…When he was still loved and cherished by the clan" said Anko going to sit on the only relatively well kept bench of the place.

Naruto flowed suit and sat by her side and asked "Why?"

"During a particularly savage battle, Lord Sarutobi and his son Asuma got surrounded by a large detachment of Uchiha elites who managed to cut them off from the main body of the army. The plan was to sacrifice as many as was needed to finally end the invincible Hiruzen" began to say Anko as she looked to the statue and the sharp edges of a face barely recognizable.

"Just as lord Hiruzen and Asuma were on their last throes, Orochimaru broke through the blockade and single handedly with his summon got rid of the Uchiha elites turning the tide of the battle over the entire battlefield…That day was a great one for the clan for it allowed us to start winning battles against the Uchiha and eventually defeat them" continued Anko.

"As a recognition for his skill and valor, Lord Hiruzen had this statue and park be made in his honor as to inspire the rest of the clan and ensure that the next generation had what it took to carry on the Will of Fire" ended Anko with a sigh as she stretched back and yawned slightly.

"Funny part was, that he said the whole thing was useless and the place would be more fit for a new training facility in order to send more troops to the front. And also called the statue a grotesque honor for men should strive for immortality instead of being satisfied with a statue that someday would crumble away" said Anko not with sadness but with a veiled admiration.

Naruto observed her and said "You really look up to that guy, don't you?"

"Hell yeah! He was so cool, strong, smart, fast like no one else and like Lord Sarutobi, he seemed to know every jutsu available in the clan! It was like if there was nothing he couldn't do and being Lord Hiruzen's greatest disciple made everyone have hope for the future" said Anko with an excited grin.

"You sound like you still have some fondness for him" said Naruto a bit puzzled by Anko's words.

"Well, the wars took their told and even the Samurai States, get their fair share of pain so orphans are quite common during those days. I was one of such and if not for the kindness and inclusive mind of the Sarutobi, I wouldn't be here. Still for someone without parents and coming from a non Shinobi nation made me something of an outcast, so I had to toughen up to live another day without crumbling" began to say Anko.

"Orochimaru came one day to visit the children alongside Lord Hiruzen as a gesture to ensure that the war was not being lost and that better times were just ahead. As Lord Hiruzen spoke with some children from the orpahange, Orochimaru seemed at the best, bored out his mind until he caught me staring at him, probably he had caught from the moment he stepped inside! And so approached me asking for my name which I spoke without hesitation for it would have made me look weak in front of others to quake in fear of such a formidable man" said Anko resting her head on her elbows.

"He said that he liked my eyes and spirit and so he took me away and began my grueling training to make me a ninja of Sarutobi. And boy was he harsh! Always placing traps where I wouldn't even think, slightly poisoning my food to immunize my body and teaching me the most clinical ways of dispatching an opponent. By his reckoning, the training should have killed me by the time he gave me my first field mission which consisted of taking out a couple of Uchiha messengers" ended saying Anko.

Naruto frowned slightly at that training method for where his father was also a harsh master, he had never gone so far to strengthen him.

"But he eventually betrayed you…" said Naruto not really wanting to remind Anko of that.

"Yep, that he did!" said Anko almost laughing it.

"You seem to be alright with it…" said a puzzled Naruto.

"Well he did betrayed us! But I should have known it…should have seen the warning signs…" said Anko with her spirits going down.

"What signs?" asked Naruto.

Lowering the collar of her trench coat, Anko showed Naruto a strange tattoo which seemed like three spinning droplets of black ink.

"What's that?" said Naruto getting closer feeling strangely on edge at the sight of it.

"A Curse Mark and Orochimaru's parting gift to me…" began to say Anko when Yugao landed in front of them in her full armor with a worried expression and panting.

"I am sorry to interrupt your date, but we have a problem!" said Yugao between pants.

"It's not a date you!" began to scream Anko with a blush on her face when Naruto also got up and said "What's wrong?"

"Hidan's forces are being mobilized and are attacking every settlement between their fortress and the capital! Lord Hiruzen is evacuating the neighboring settlements and moving the people here! Every ninja available is to arm and prepare the defense of the city!" replied Yugao standing up.

"Hidan and his associate are leading their rabble to us…" finally said Yugao eyeing Naruto and Anko.

**AN: Done!**

**Hello everyone! Very long time since the last update, right?**

**I would like to apologize for the lack of updates but to be honest I had a huge block regarding this story and to be honest, I am still having trouble to write this story.**

**But I felt you deserved a new chapter so I wrote this one which originally was meant to be longer but as I want to finally bring this story to an end, I am going to head into the battle and be done with it once and for all so I can start new projects without feeling tied up to old ones.**

**Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that I won't write more adventures for "The Wandering Sage" anymore. The plan in the long term is that eventually I'll write separate stories for the different lands Naruto will visit in his quest for peace in the Ninja World.**

**That means his visits to the other Jinchuuriki and the resolution of the long gestating battle with the big bad guy of Madara Uchiha.**

**So expect this story to end soon and as a bonus for your patience, it'll be crowned with my last lemon, as the site is currently being too oversensitive with them!**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	30. The Peace of Death

**Chapter 29: The Peace of Death.**

"This is not as I imagined things would go like, but given the current circumstances…" thought Kakuzu grimly as he observed the Cult of Jashin sacking and burning another settlement on their long march to Gran Fire.

Soon after his talk with his current "associate", Kakuzu went to speak with Hidan and using the hyperbolic psyche of the mad prophet, he had convinced him to move with plan to convert the Sarutobi clan to the cult of Jashin.

The plan was a simple one, mobilize their current followers and those hidden in other settlements towards Gran Fire and once there force Hiruzen to reach a decision concerning Hidan's claim to the leadership of the clan.

From what he learned from his "associate", a Sage had arrived to help the Sarutobi and was currently helping the youngest Sarutobi whelp to become a strong ninja.

On the practical scheme of things, Kakuzu wasn't really afraid that the Sarutobi kid could actually defeat Hidan or himself for that matter. But the boy resembled the Old Sarutobi physically and he would know for he had seen Hiruzen in his prime, and that could move the masses away from the cult and back to the mainstream Will of Fire.

Kakuzu had then realized that the boy was giving the current leadership the time to counter Hidan's cult which in reality was much smaller than most people realized. Shock and awe had been their tools and the reluctance of Hiruzen to move aggressively against them and a botched assassination attempt on Hidan made the majority of people believe that they were gaining strength and popularity by the day.

Still there was a possibility that this gamble may fail so he had his gold already moved outside the fortress and placed on several carts close to the border in the north where he expected to relocate in one of the secluded Samurai countries.

Kakuzu flexed his hands open and close though to be honest he didn't felt anything anymore for pain could be a great distractor in a fight and if he ended in one the last thing he needed was his body to get cramped due to the lack of activity.

Then there was the issue represented by the Sage…If memory served him well after so many years, the last Sage was a guy named Jiraiya and no one had heard or seen him in a decade since the war ended. That a new and younger Sage decided to step into the world and started fixing things indicated that the world was about to become very problematic and his "associate" might have a part in it.

Kakuzu growled deeply and cursed himself for letting his mind wander into such things for the world and its goings and comings were no longer of any concern to him. Long ago his clan had been wiped out and he had become a mercenary given his unique Jutsu by which he had done unnamed crimes and somewhere along the line he had cheated death itself from finally claiming him.

Wealth, he had rationalized, was the motive after the destruction of his clan for its clans were rich and bountiful so a stronger clan decided to remove the current inhabitants and use them for profit, but in time a bigger one had moved in wiping the former only for the land to be rendered useless during a poison attack at the height of one of the great wars.

Wealth had dictated that all those things needed to happen and the land only knew peace when it was no longer worth anything.

Kakuzu had dried all his tears then and decided that his sole purpose was to acquire enough wealth to finally withdraw and leave others for the killing.

And still, he was a bit expectant of the moment they would reach Gran Fire…Would Hiruzen himself step out to fight them? Now that would be something to look for!

"Kakuzu you old creep! What are you doing? Why aren't you feasting in Jashin's glory?" asked Hidan as he jumped to the roof where Kakuzu oversaw the madness unleashed by him.

Kakuzu directed an annoyed glance at Hidan and really wished this thing to finally be over and leave him here to rot alongside the Sarutobi.

"There will be plenty of feasting when we reach Gran Fire…We should be moving along, the more you keep them here the more time we give old Sarutobi to prepare and the intention was to catch him by surprise…" said Kakuzu exasperatedly.

"Worry not old friend! The more we bask in Jashin's works the greater the strength he gives us, but fine I also wish for this issue to be resolved at last! The rest of my brothers and sisters in the clan need the word of Jashin to finally see beyond the dwindling Will of Fire" said Hidan as he swung his massive scythe and jumped to the ground where several of his followers gathered around immediately to receive instructions.

"You better don't screw this up Hidan, or I'll show the true terror of death…" thought Kakuzu as he watched with disgust.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Gran Fire's defenses haven't been manned in such a long time that even Hiruzen Sarutobi was having a hard time remembering the exact moment when such an ominous things had happened and knew for a fact that they haven't since the Sarutobi clan united the other clans of the western lands of the Land of Fire.

Still, as rueful as the day may be, the impregnable walls of the city were being readied for a potential siege and thousands of clan civilians had made their way into the city as to be safe from the wanton destruction being enacted by Hidan's followers on their homes.

Upon the news of the uprising, several ninja of the clan had made their way towards the capital to stand and if necessary fall, for neither of them wanted a clan perverted to the destructive ways of Jashin.

For their loyalty Hiruzen was grateful but still that they had come here to defend the clan from its own kindred nagged heavily at him for it awoke questions he haven't made to himself in decades.

Is the Will of Fire something that can only live as long as he does? Was it wrong of him to teach it to his clansmen and neighbors? Is such a belief so flawed that instead of creating a core of strength, just created a shell for the people to push their fears away?

"Don't dwell too much on it Hiruzen…if you have to cast the blame then do so on those who deserve it" sternly and calmly said Danzo as he slowly made his way into the observation tower from which Hiruzen observed the preparations for the coming hour of reckoning for the Will of Fire to carry on or finally be snuffed out.

"Funny to hear that from the man who has been questioning me since before I started dating!" laughed Hiruzen.

Danzo didn't seem to catch on the comment and just said "I have always done so, so that no action of the clan was poorly thought through or executed hesitantly. Still, once a path was chosen I always invested my full energies in its prosecution and success"

"I wasn't questioning your loyalty…"said Hiruzen not exactly certain of Danzo's intentions.

"Nor I was questioning you Hiruzen for it wasn't you who placed us in this situation. If only, this is the test I knew would come sooner or later…"continued Danzo as he watched uninterested the preparations of the defense.

Before Hiruzen could say a thing, Danzo carried on and said "A decade of peace, and all thanks to you Hiruzen and our wayward Jiraiya. It won't last forever of course but the fact that after centuries of nonstop conflicts and several great wars we finally had a full decade of peace during which a generation grew to see peace as a norm and not an exception"

"The Will of Fire, carried us on through the hardest of times and the harshest lessons and after all of that you and I, with some luck, won't see our end at the field of battle but silently in the night with people already mourning our passing before our final breath leaves our lips" said Danzo making Hiruzen look to his own hands and realized what he just said.

They were wrinkled and old, still with strength in them but nothing like when he lead his people into the black maws of war. So many years in which he had loved and lost, raised a family only to see it consumed by the enemies he had sought to reach peace with…and then kill to the last with rage and not hope in his heart.

He had been blessed with a talent for arts of the Shinobi that apparently only a handful in the whole world had ever enjoyed and for what? If so many friends and loved ones had perished under his command.

He had learned so many Jutsu that it still amazed him that he could remember half of them to this day and age but not a single one had spared his clan from suffering equally.

But 10 years ago as another conflict with the great clans of Fire raged on, his long lost student and murmured Sage suddenly returned to his life and without a care in the world declared that it was time to end the wars on the Land of Fire once and for all.

Such was the conviction of Jiraiya back at the day that Hiruzen could barely believe it when he was conversing with Tsunade Senju and Hiashi Hyuuga on how to finally end the conflict and somehow convince the stubborn Uchiha who kept rolling their armies forward into the grinder.

Then the Uchiha ambush in which he had shined like never before driven by his intense desire to finally put an end to the fighting and open a door to a different age where his grandson could grow with a smile and face free of scars earned on the nasty business of killing.

Hiruzen shivered remembering that battle for every movement, every jutsu and every word was deeply ingrained in his mind, for as arrogant as the Uchiha could be, their strength and skill was very real and every bit as fabled.

"A new wind blows and our Fire dwindles, but is yet to be completely turned off. It's not in war where the real tests come but in peace and what we choose to do in the face of a new conflict. Should we march to the old habits? Or shall we stand brave and weather the storm keeping the fire alive even if all we have to keep it alive is our weak hands and a prayer…" said Hiruzen.

"You always had a knack with words Hiruzen…" said Danzo turning to face his old comrade.

"We can destroy Hidan's army and set him on the run…" flatly said Danzo drawing Hiruzen's eyes to his sole visible one.

"For months now I have introduced several of my operatives in the midst of Hidan's Cult and are ready to wreak havoc in their midst giving you the chance to charge forward and end the job. On the meantime, elite units can keep Hidan and his partner busy enough as for them to actually turn the tide. All we need is your go…"said Danzo planting his cane with a loud strike.

Hiruzen quickly calculated through Danzo's strategy and it was sound and every bit as devious as all his plans had been in the past.

"I am afraid that as much as I want to follow in your plan, mostly in part for vengeance I admit. This is not a battle between men warring to get a hold of power" said Hiruzen going to the edge of the tower to watch his faithful preparing for the coming battle.

"This is a battle of what we all hold sacred and the few values we vowed never to betray despite everything else. If we play your way Danzo, what message would I be sending the rest of the clan? That the Will of Fire is a lie and all that matters is that things carry on as usual without disturbances now that we are a fully united nation, unlike when I first started preaching it?" said Hiruzen with renewed passion.

"This is not a battle between two opposing beliefs for I know that even those following Hidan still have the Will of Fire burning within them! This is a battle to face our deepest fears in the face of the unknown and if we falter then!..." said Hiruzen becoming a bit agitated.

Holding a hand high Danzo began "No need to exert yourself Hiruzen, the time will come soon enough. I just tested your commitment and I haven't found it wanting…We will face this last battle together as all others, you in the front and I in your shadow. And we will stoke that fire anew in all of them"

Hiruzen laughed and said to his comrade "You always denied it, but your Fire always burned brightly old friend…"

Danzo turned slightly and said "Don't say stupidities old man…Another battle awaits us…" and with that he walked outside slowly.

"That it does…"sighed Hiruzen rubbing his hands together.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Hidan and his army finally arrived to Gran Fire and much to his surprise found it not only ready but completely manned and all of its banner flying high in defiance to his Cult making many of his followers balk slightly whispering to one another now that they were faced with the formidable task of bringing down the impregnable defenses of the capital.

Knowing that he could lose momentum, Hidan impaled himself once more with his terrifying weapon and when he healed again before everyone, they cheered him and readied themselves for the coming conflict now confident that they were blessed.

Kakuzu decided to remain discreetly behind Hidan as if he was just one more of many who followed him blindly into an impossible siege.

He was certain that if Hidan attempted an assault not even his immortality would grant him victory before all of his followers were killed before reaching the outer perimeter of the city's defenses.

That's why he had managed to convince Hidan of keep playing by the clan's rules and demand an answer from Hiruzen and when he couldn't provide one, Hidan would challenge any Sarutobi ninja to fight him for the right to become leader of the clan.

With some luck the Sarutobi whelp will step up to the challenge as to inspire the clan and Hidan's followers to believe in him and accept them.

But that was a silly notion. No matter how skilled and talented the boy could be, there's no defeating an immortal such as Hidan short of disintegrating his body and there was only a handful of ninja in this world capable of enacting such destruction and sadly he wasn't one of them.

And then there was that special jutsu of Hidan he seemed to enjoy so much…even he shuddered at the notion of having to face such a forbidden skill.

Turning to look at the defenders atop the main battlement where the gates remained tightly shut, he distinguished a mane of golden hair with arms crossed and slowly gazing the amassed forces of the Cult.

He was so far the biggest question so far, for his "associate" to warn him of his presence indicated two things plainly.

One, that the Sage was powerful enough to actually be a threat to either Hidan or himself despite their current natures.

And Two, this Sage had already somehow managed to anger his associate enough as to try to push Kakuzu into erasing him from the picture or perhaps test him against a truly strong opponent.

The last point managed to anger him for being used and amuse him due to the fact that a ninja of this time and age managed to nick the armor of confidence of his associate.

Still if it came to a fight…would he even want to fight it? Was it worth it? He already had his money secured and it would last him a lifetime, well at least long enough to not have to worry for a couple of decades…

Kakuzu shook his head at the sudden surge of doubts and his strange desire to taste battle once more and just focused on the coming moments as Hidan moved alone towards Gran Fire draped in red, white and black.

**At the Battlements…**

"Not as many as I thought we would be fighting" said Anko as her experienced eyes surveyed the opposing forces arrayed in undisciplined fashion.

"Still enough to burn a city…"eerily said Yugao as she came walking to join Naruto and Anko after making certain that the shock troops be ready to face the enemy in case they managed to storm the gates.

"Always the cheery one…" mumbled Anko as her eyes kept jumping from one point of the enemy to the next trying to identify ninja of renown that could be targeted as primary threats to be terminated immediately.

"You think they'll try to attack?" asked Kurenai as she came now dressed in similar armor attire as Yugao though she had added several vials to her belt.

Naruto watched the scene and it eerily reminded him of the battlefield where the Hyuuga factions almost destroyed one another in fratricidal warfare. He just hoped that the cost for peace wouldn't be so high for he wasn't certain he could pull off another miracle.

"What does Lord Sarutobi wants to do?" asked Naruto still unsure of how to proceed, for so far the only order received was to close up the city and prepare for a siege.

"We don't know…He's still in council with the advisors, so we hold positions and stand ready" replied Yugao.

As they were about to turn to keep surveying the battlefield, a general gasp and some shouting called their attention as somewhat of a commotion was taking place on the eastern tower.

Naruto and the others tried their best to catch a glimpse of what was happening as to restore order quickly enough.

Then several soldiers and ninja said "It's a miracle!"

"Lord Sarutobi stands restored to us!" another shouted making Naruto and the kunoichi turn to look at one another.

Finally reaching the gate of the tower, a group of soldiers made a half circle as to allow a person to stand out.

From the gate a slim male form dressed in black battle armor with white shoulder pads and a carapace on the back with the word "FIRE" stepped out walking as straight as possible.

The figure was donning a cumbersome helmet similar to those of Samurai and for a moment Kurenai said "Lord Sarutobi?"

But the moment the figure finally removed the helmet in exasperation, it was revealed that the man was not the legendary Hiruzen Sarutobi but his grandson Konohamaru.

Still this didn't diminish the enthusiasm of the Sarutobi warriors for seeing the young man clad in the same attire as his living ancestor's evoked the courage and confidence the older man still managed to bring out from them.

Naruto saw the event and watched silently until he stepped further and offered a hand to Konohamaru who immediately shook it as confidently as possible making the soldiery roar in approval for now it seemed that victory was assured.

"You look very cool Konohamaru!" said Naruto quickly.

"Thanks! Still think that something's missing! But looking cool is half the part of being truly cool! You'll see that the training has paid its rewards!" said Konohamaru trying to sound confident but Naruto could discern the tint of fear laced in his voice.

"Looking good little brat! Ready to rumble?" said Anko crossing an arm over Konohamaru and pressing his face to the side of her breast as if to give him something of a treat.

"Anko! Still lord Konohamaru, it's wonderful to see you in your ancestors battle garments, you make us all proud" courtly said Yugao while.

Kurenai then approached Konohamaru and removing his helmet placed a kiss on his forehead and fix Konohamaru's long blue scarf around his neck and said "Your uncle would be so proud right now…but don't try to be someone else, always be Konohamaru Sarutobi and carve your name in the rolls of glory"

Konohamaru grinned at this and made his scarf less trailing for as Anko demonstrated in trainings, it could be used to strangle him if he kept it to long after him.

"It's a shame you have to don such a fine attire on this day, but rarely does life gives us what we want" said Hiruzen from behind the little group making everyone jump slightly for no one had managed to sense his approach.

Hiruzen like Konohamaru was fully dressed for combat but unlike his grandson, his visage was no longer something to behold in awe and terror on the battlefield starkly reminding everyone of their own mortality and to enjoy the youth they were given fully.

"I bring a gift to you Konohamaru" said Hiruzen making a quick hand sign and producing a large scroll which he immediately unrolled at the end showing old markings and a new blank space.

"This is the summoning contract of the monkeys that have long served alongside the Sarutobi for countless generations. I can't even begin to recount how many times has the Monkey King: Enma saved my skin in combat! Still he's yours to use in combat and you would be wise to heed his wisdom for his has fought by the side of our ancestors since the first Sarutobi took the name" said Hiruzen as he laid the scroll on the ground and began writing Konohamaru's name on it right next to his own.

"Now Konohamaru, drench your hand in blood and sign the pact by which the friendship of the Sarutobi is renewed with the Monkeys of King Enma" said Hiruzen handing Konohamaru a simple kunai for him to make the contract.

Konohamaru gulped aloud and did as instructed and cut his hand making certain his fingertips were sufficiently covered in blood; after this, he knelt and placed his hand on the scroll above his name effectively binding him to the monkeys from this day to the moment he passes over.

After this, Kurenai immediately brought a medic who used healing jutsu to heal Konohamaru's injury completely instead of just wrapping it in bandages and letting it heal normally.

"Sarutobi!" a loud voice roared above the cacophony of voices comprising both forces as they readied for combat.

Everyone turned to the field where a lone figure had stepped to present himself before the entire clan wearing a red, black and white cloak that only covered his left side and the other remained naked without scars despite his previous act to embolden his forces. On his left hand he carried with little effort the wicked three bladed scythe.

"I come here to claim the right to lead the Sarutobi clan! I am the most worthy and have defeated all challengers, yet old Hiruzen denies my claim without any real arguments! Is this the way the Sarutobi do things? Is this the strength of the Will of Fire? An old man clinging desperately to power like the tyrants ninja deposed before the founding of the great clans! Step down and acknowledge me!" screamed Hidan making his rabble roar in approval as they waved the banners of Jashin which consisted of white skulls over black fields.

Hiruzen approached the battlement to try to speak down Hidan and perhaps turn his followers against him but Konohamaru beat him to it and screamed from on top of a tower "I challenge you Hidan! I claim leadership of the clan and say to you! That death and fear will not reign true upon us! The Will of Fire saw us through the worst of the Uchiha and you don't even begin to stand in comparison to their wrath!"

At this, unlike with Hidan, the entire field was filled with silence for few could believe what they just heard.

Naruto saw the doubt etched on the Sarutobi loyalists and so to create a momentum of positivity he cheered and soon after the whole army roared Konohamaru's name.

Kakuzu approached Hidan from behind and said in a low growl "Make sure to crush the kid, we want them demoralized if we are to have any chance storming the city afterwards. I'll make certain no one interferes…"

Before Hidan could compose a reply he banished.

Konohamaru stepped down and was received by three bonks to the head from his teachers making him cringe in pain with a little tear coming out from his left eye.

"You idiot! What the hell were you thinking?" hissed Yugao while receiving approbatory nods from Anko and Kurenai.

"I am doing something for this clan!" yelled back making his teachers step back.

"You three and Boss Naruto have been drilling me so hard the past weeks and I am stronger than I have ever been in my life! I can take him down, I am certain!" continued Konohamaru letting a bit of his despair to dye his words.

"You have my blessings then Konohamaru…" said Hiruzen surprising everyone.

"It's high time the old guard retired and allowed a new one to watch out for the terror of war…This is your first very likely your hardest test, but the Will of Fire will not let you falter for whatever force drives us is looking out for you today…" said Hiruzen feeling every one of his years weigh on his shoulders.

Kurenai and Yugao were shocked but Anko quickly spit his dango stick and spun Konohamaru around.

"Listen brat! If you are serious about fighting this creep then you must know everything we have gathered since your uncle fought him and we tried to kill him! The most important thing you have to watch out for is to avoid his scythe and any other blade or stave he may carry on him! Under no circumstance allow yourself to be cut for that will spell your death!" said Anko with the most serious expression Konohamaru has ever seen on her.

Placing a hand on his shoulder Yugao said "He's a close fighter type and his weapon as extremely heavy as it might be is also very tricky due to the three blades which can fool your perception of the weapon, its reach and harming ability. So stay always at a distance and try to wear him down like that"

With another hand on his left shoulder Kurenai said "At last, if you fail to remain unharmed then you must avoid Hidan from completing his ritual. For his ritual he needs to elements, a drop of your blood and a black curse symbol he needs to stand upon"

"If he draws your blood and consumes it, then avoid him completing the drawing of the symbol or him stepping over it. If he accomplishes this he'll become an avatar of your own body and so all harm enacted on him will be translated to you, and where he can apparently survive everything, you cannot" said Kurenai with a pain expression.

Konohamaru gulped loudly again and nodded steeling his resolve to meet Hidan on the battlefield.

At last, Naruto went to Konohamaru and said "I don't know if Sages give some sort of blessing so all I can do is wish you the best for the coming battle. Remember your training and be as unpredictable as you can for that has been my greatest weapon during all this time. Also remember what I have taught you recently"

Grinning back at Naruto Konohamaru said "Got it Boss! I'll make you proud! And I'll earn the right to read the book!"

And with that Konohamaru began his descent to meet Hidan in front of the gates.

Seeing him going down, the three kunoichi were called by Naruto.

"Girls, we need to deal with another issue. Trust Konohamaru and help me put it down quickly" said Naruto making the three girls in confusion.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Kakuzu had managed to infiltrate the city of Gran Fire, not because he intended to make a breach for Hidan's followers to enter or give some sort of edge to Hidan himself. In fact he hated both of them and desired to see them all broken and dying for their stupidity at the walls of the city.

Kakuzu decided to get his payment from this ordeal ahead of time for his instincts told him that it was about time for him to jump ship and leave with his earnings to more accommodating lands.

And for that reason Kakuzu was headed now towards a building he knew held many of the gold reserves of the clan which remained safety in a unseemly area with almost no guards at all instead of the more public office of assignments in which some clans actually did kept some funds.

Kakuzu had to praise the Sarutobi for their creativity at keeping their wealth safe for unless that particular bureaucrat blurted it out during one of Hidan's rallies, and after some quality time with him had managed to make him give up full details though the poor soul would not be coming back to work anymore, he would be going for the more public building.

This time though Kakuzu wouldn't let his greed take the better of him for he needed to travel lightly and didn't wanted to get his hands dirty with robbers or be slowed down by the cumbersome weight of too much gold; so a couple hundred bars of gold would suffice for a couple of decades of comfort.

But right before he could take another step he sighed and said "You can come out now…I don't need to look for you to know you have me surrounded…"

At this from four different points Naruto, Anko, Kurenai and Yugao surrounded Kakuzu who twisted his neck slightly letting his old bones crack sickly.

"Kakuzu I presume. Mind explaining yourself of why you are inside the city? Shouldn't you be by your partners side?" asked Naruto crossing his arms and reaching for his new combat kunai in the sleeves of his coat.

"Look kid…I am not in the mood for a fight…look to your own business and I'll conclude mine without shedding blood. I don't give a damn about what happens to the Sarutobi, the boy could win or that deluded idiot of Hidan, I just don't care at all" said Kakuzu to the surprise of his current opponents.

"Then what do you want?" asked Yugao with her hand firmly on her ninjato's hilt.

"To make a little cash withdrawal, just a bit of pocket change for the road…" said Kakuzu with an obvious smile in his masked face.

Kurenai noticed then the direction in which Kakuzu was headed and realized that the man wanted to loot the secret treasury on his own.

"How did you entered the city?" demanded Anko.

"Oh, now that's a good question! Let's say that I took a look when the wall was being built over the layers of molten solid rock of this ancient volcano…Builders some time slack off and leave some details unfinished" said Kakuzu remembering how he had disguised himself as a worker when the walls of the city were being built.

"That's impossible! Those walls were built centuries ago!" half screamed Kurenai for the aura of this man felt terrifying.

Letting out a laugh and a sigh Kakuzu removed his robe showing he was dressed in plain ninja clothes and displayed no apparent weapons though the four colored masks in his back drew quizzical looks from the others since they wondered about their purpose.

"You don't have to believe me Sarutobi whore…but since you'll obviously stand in my way…"growled Kakuzu with rage making his blood lust rise unexpectedly fast barely giving any warning to his enemies before he went through a series of hand signs and extending his hands aiming for Anko and Yugao.

From his hands large thunderbolts exploded and headed towards the two kunoichi who barely dodged before it struck making the two buildings explode in pieces due to the unnatural strength of the technique.

At this Naruto deducted that Kakuzu was a lightning elemental ninja who by rule was weak against wind based attacks so he formed his own hand signs and retaliated with a strong wind bullet aimed for his head.

But Kakuzu dodged and in turn with a different set of hand signs directed his fingers in his general direction and four very large fire arrows flew straight at him not giving him time but to rise his arms and take on the assault.

Naruto was sent backwards due to the strength of the attack and crashed into the wall of a store.

Yugao had taken the chance to throw a barrage of kunai and shuriken at Kakuzu but to her surprise, he just lifted his arm and it suddenly became of a darker shade that the rest of his body and her weapons bounced off from his arm as if they had suddenly struck stone.

"How can it be?" thought Kurenai as she watched the intense combat.

Ninja commonly had only one elemental affinity and kekei genkais allowed sometime for two to be mixed. But this man had displayed lightning, fire and earth jutsus.

As she hesitated the man went through another series of hand signs and slammed his hands on the ground without any immediate effect only for Kurenai to notice a rumbling beneath her and barely jump out as a powerful stream of water sprouted with such force that it smashed the stone edge of a house.

Kakuzu slowly straightened up admiring his handiwork of the past 15 seconds in which he had almost obliterated an entire block feeling a bit elated though he knew that none of his opponents was dead or severely injured making him wonder if had lost some of his edge.

Anko observed him from the ruins of the building trying to discern how he could pull of so many elemental attacks with such strength and speed but her instincts told her that the masks on his back were part of the answer.

"So will you leave me to my own devices? I really don't need to kill you…" said a mocking Kakuzu.

From the ruins where Naruto had crashed, another loud explosion resounded and a huge water ball shot towards Kakuzu who again went through hand signs and slamming his hand on the ground erected a wall of earth that received the attack though the earth cracked reminding Kakuzu he was fighting a Sage and not some ordinary ninja.

At this slight distraction he felt three bites on his shoulder, so he turned to see that three white purple snakes coming from within one of the kunoichi sleeves were hungrily biting him and attempting to inject a variety of poisons very likely.

Kakuzu snorted and spun quickly managing to pull Anko at him and deliver an incredibly strong kick to her belly only for the girl to explode in smoke making his realize that he had connected with a shadow clone.

In that instant he heard the whistling sound of a blade falling from behind so he spun again to meet with his enhanced arm the blade of a superbly crafted Ninjato which to his surprise didn't shattered on impact.

Before he could push back and counter Yugao, he felt a terrible blow on his back and then got propelled to another building which he destroyed.

Naruto stood there with his hand outstretched and with a bit of dust clearing from his palm as he breathed rapidly knowing that despite hitting Kakuzu with his most powerful move, the other ninja would not fall so easily.

Naruto was then joined by Yugao, Kurenai and Anko who kept a guard while they shared their thought on their opponent.

"How can he control every element with such degree of skill?" asked Kurenai feeling the less appropriate for the current combat since her specialty was genjutsu and she doubted that this ninja would fall for briefly prepared ones.

"He must have some sort of enhancer though I have never heard of such a thing!" said Yugao taking a moment to check the edge of her blade.

"He's probably using a forbidden jutsu…by which he has managed to splice all kinds of elemental chakra into his body. And I bet those masks on his back have something to do with it!" hissed Anko just as the rubble into which Kakuzu just crashed moments ago.

"You really want a fight don't you?" growled the now very aggressive voice of Kakuzu as he punched a collapsed roof from on top of him.

Kakuzu rose to his feet and walked out with a murderous look he hadn't used in several decades.

"Then you got one!" growled Kakuzu as he hunched over and from his back three of the four masks began to tremble as if alive and suddenly hundreds of threads sprouted from beneath them propelling them away from him and unto the ground.

"You owe me one…he he he" laughed sinisterly Kakuzu as the heaps of thread began to move on their own and take shapes of their own.

At this Naruto and the Kunoichi got ready for the incoming assault though they were quite shocked by the unnatural spectacle of the threads and the masks coming to life.

After a few moments the threads had finally taken definite shapes and without further actions the three masks opened its mouths and from them a torrent of Fire, Lightning and Water shot at them with incredible force barely giving them time to dodge and see the place where they stood be obliterated.

"That's how he did it! He stored elemental chakra into those strange things and so uses it to cast all sorts of elemental jutsus as if he was adept with them all!" screamed Anko as she went to hide and disappear from sight.

Yugao and Kurenai nodded and followed suit knowing already the moves their teamwork have ingrained in them and so also proceeded to hide leaving a confused Naruto to face the whole assortment of enemies.

"I'll find them quickly enough…Still you owe me a precious mask" said Kakuzu lifting a finger at Naruto and as if ordered too, the yellow mask monster shot a thunderbolt straight at Naruto who in turn went through quick hand signs and shot a powerful wind bullet to collide with the Thunderbolt barely countering it.

"Perfect, and here I was thinking that getting a wind one was going to be tricky!" hissed Kakuzu as he had his red masked monster sent a trio of fireballs that reminded Naruto of Sasuke and their battle against Haku.

Naruto then went again through hand signs and shot three large water bullets from his mouth barely neutralizing the fireballs but as soon as the steam cleared a torrent of fire followed and Naruto was forced to flee as it followed him burning everything to a crisp.

"Doesn't he grows tired?" thought Naruto as he kept jumping from building to building still uncertain of where did Anko and the others hid.

"Screw it!" thought Naruto and then jumped high where he shot several water bullets at the torrent of fire neutralizing it and creating a thick mist cloud but the moment Naruto though he would have a respite a thunder pierced through and eliminated the vapor and almost struck him dead center.

"You seem to be quite adept at water too…you'll make an excellent addition to my repertoire" said Kakuzu as he remained unmoving.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Naruto as he tried to figure a way by which to defeat such a versatile and seemingly untiring opponent.

"Well, guess it doesn't hurt to tell you. I bet you are wondering how is it that I am managing to throw so many elemental attacks at you, right? Well the answer if that beneath each mask a heart of a different chakra is beating to serve me in whatever manner I wish" said Kakuzu with an obvious grin on his masked face.

At this piece of information Naruto's eyes went wide as he quickly made the math of what Anko mentioned about a forbidden jutsu.

Kakuzu noticed this as well and laughed throatily and said "That's correct. Each mask contains the heart of long dead ninja who were strongly adept in a particular element! And you'll be a heart of wind, Sage!"

At this Kakuzu took Naruto's surprise and made his three monsters take aim and fire but a large wall of earth stood in front of Naruto and afterwards other four walls enclosed Kakuzu and his monsters.

Kakuzu cursed himself over forgetting he had other opponents and though they weren't as powerful as the Sage they could still prove to be an annoyance. He made a mental note to train more often as to not become too rusty.

As soon as the four walls ended climbing and formed a room around Kakuzu, the place became quickly filled with a pink mist that Kakuzu guessed was some sort of sensorial genjutsu but what his opponents didn't knew was that he no longer needed to breathe at all anymore, still he had to be wary in case there was poison mixed in that could damage his tissue and that of his monsters.

Before Kakuzu could command his monsters to destroy the walls a rain of kunai began to drop and attached to them a bomb seal. Kakuzu's eyes went wide and immediately after the wall became alive with explosions, fire and smoke climbing upwards making Naruto stare in awe.

As he took a moment to compose himself, Anko fell next to Naruto and said "Sorry about dumping you Sage boy! We needed time to set this up!"

Naruto just nodded slightly when the explosions finally ended and just smoke rose from within the earth walls Anko had erected.

Before any could hope for victory though, four shapes jumped out of it seemingly unhindered by the attack.

Kakuzu yelled angrily "You bitches! I'll carve your hearts out of pleasure!"

But as his ill mood took the better of him a hissing sound cut the wind and out of nowhere Yugao had landed on top of the red masked monster and buried her Ninjato with all her might to the hilt making Kakuzu's eyes go wide in utter surprise for never before had he lost two of his monsters in a single fight.

Yugao then immediately jumped the moment the monster began to lose its cohesion and proceeded to disappear once more amidst the buildings surrounding the battle.

"There! We took out the most troublesome for you!" said Anko.

"Now use some crazy sage move to end this creep!" said Anko with a winning grin making Naruto falter slightly.

Naruto then considered that the battle was going to get even more desperate now though he had to commend Anko for her strategic assessment that the fire monster was indeed the most troublesome for him since wind element made him weak and though he was quite adept with water as well, there was no way he could match the power of that thing.

Naruto also considered his other choices for the fight though he saw several issues with them since they were in the middle of the city they were supposed to be defending from the enemy.

He considered summoning the Boss but his sheer side would stamp several blocks of the city before he could dispatch Kakuzu.

He also considered using the Sage mode but though he had plenty of space to hide it was unlikely that the girls could buy him enough time to remain hidden and immobile for 5 minutes.

Then at last it came to him, his new jutsu! Though he hadn't tested against an opponent it was his best shot to end things quickly and return to the wall.

"Anko! I'll use the jutsu you inspired me to but I need an opening for its exclusively close quarters!" screamed Naruto as Kakuzu and his monsters renewed their attack with a torrents of attacks that began to obliterate the entire field.

"Got it!" said Anko and disappeared in a cloud of smoke probably to tell of his plan to the others.

Turning to see Kakuzu, Naruto placed his finger in a crossed position and screamed "Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

And the sky above Kakuzu was suddenly covered in white smoke and from it dozens of Narutos fell to the battlefield with kunai on hand immediately went for Kakuzu and his monsters that began the tedious task of taking out the clones.

Meanwhile with Anko, she was explaining the others the plan Naruto had concocted while the battle roared on just a couple of walls outside.

"And how exactly do you propose we stop him long enough for Naruto to drawback, prepare the jutsu and strike? The remaining monsters probably coordinate better with their master now that they are lower in number" said Yugao while watching out for enemies coming after them.

"We need to distract the three of them long enough for Naruto to come down on the ninja" said Kurenai.

"It's going to be a tough one girls! So I am keeping the ninja while you two draw away the monsters!" said Anko much to Yugao and Kurenai's displeasure.

"Who named you our boss?" retorted Yugao.

"I can use my genjutsu to better distract the ninja in a safer manner!" added Kurenai.

"You saw what the guy can do…He doesn't fall for genjutsu at all and his monsters fight more single mindedly so while powerful they can do little more than attack in predictive manners with their elements" said Anko.

"I am the best close quarters fighter and have the jutsus to slow him down if only for a bit but that's all we need for Naruto to make his move" reasoned Anko trying not to blush at the concern her teammates displayed for her.

Yugao and Kurenai looked to one another and nodded "Then let us give you a little extra edge!"

Back with Naruto, he kept sending clones forward though he had to admit that he was starting to run low on chakra and he still needed to save enough for the jutsu he had just created and he had been surprised by how much of his own chakra it took to make.

"You are only delaying the inevitable Sage!" roared Kakuzu as his stone fists dispatched four more clones in rapid succession.

"You'll get tired long before I do!" said Kakuzu as his body had begun to distend in order to neutralize more clones showing Naruto that his body was also mainly comprised of those strange threads keeping his body together.

"Whatever this bastard did, it probably is irreversible!" thought Naruto as the last wave he could sacrifice went to battle. He kept two other clones by his side for this jutsu required a great deal of concentration and chakra manipulation.

As Kakuzu kept dispelling the clones he have guessed were trying to wear him down to leave him ripe for the killing blow, suddenly a barrage of steel weapon rained on his blue masked monster pinning it to the ground with steel wire effectively limiting its movement though it would last long.

On the other side Kakuzu saw that his Yellow masked monster seemed confused and was attacking randomly to invisible targets which told him that it was under some sort of mirage genjutsu that was fooling it's rather simple combat orders.

Kakuzu was going to direct them personally but the moment he stopped putting attention to his own fight, several purple snakes sprouted from the ground and coiled around his arms, legs, torso and neck managing to immobilize him.

Still Kakuzu started to pull with his unnatural strength and was starting to pull the snakes from the ground.

Naruto saw all this and understood that he only had moments to prepare so he and his clones got to work on his new jutsu and pray that it would work and suffice.

Kakuzu on his side had managed to tear off one of the snakes and was half way to get fully free, but Anko appeared in front of him and struck with her kunai at his throat. But Kakuzu had already hardened his skin to stone effectively deflecting the small blade.

Kakuzu grinned as he took advantage of Anko's slight moment of surprise and managed to catch her by the throat and squeezing hard but not enough to actually kill her on the spot. He hadn't killed a ninja in such a ferocious combat in a while so he wanted to enjoy this one.

Anko gasped slightly but grinned making Kakuzu wonder what she meant with such a foolish act of defiance in the face of death.

Loosening his grip just enough to let some air enter her lungs Kakuzu asked "Take this last moment as you go into the void!"

Anko managed to open an eye and with the grin still in place "How about you go there first and rent me a room?" and proceeded to sprout a snake from between her breasts that spat a highly corroding venom into Kakuzu's eyes who let out a scream and dropped Anko as he tried to clean his eyes from the liquid that began to eat away his eyes.

But Anko didn't withdrew the moment he let her go so the enraged Kakuzu hearing where she had landed hardened his fist and delivered a mighty strike on her that propelled her like a bullet to crash into a building some ways from there.

"That bitch!" screamed the enraged Kakuzu as he started to command his smallest threads to start repairing his eyes.

As he went about it, Kakuzu heard a wheezing sound that started to drown the noise of the battle raging around. The sound grew and grew instilling in Kakuzu a feeling he didn't thought himself capable of anymore; fear…

The sound was so loud that it seemed to come from every direction and blind as he was, he couldn't pinpoint the origin so he jumped as quickly as he could towards the nearest building his ruined eyes could still devise.

But as he went a white light loomed over him and in that instant Kakuzu thought in surprise "I am dead…"

The attack struck him on the back and the void finally claimed its long overdue price…

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Konohamaru had descended from the wall and the moment the gates closed to let him come through all his confidence had disappeared and had been replaced by uncertainty and fear for this was not only his first real confrontation with an enemy ninja, but also this was perhaps the most defining moment of his life, well that until he stood in front of the bed with his dreamed girl…

Konohamaru approached the confident Hidan as he went again through all the advise his teachers gave him about fighting Hidan.

"Avoid cuts and scrapes that make you bleed, if you can't avoid that then prevent him from drawing the curse seal and step on it…That's good and all but how the heck do I beat him?" thought Konohamaru as he gulped his nervousness.

At last Konohamaru stood in front of Hidan who in turn didn't look at all impressed and if something actually seemed a bit boring.

"Hey kid, you can run if you want…Jashin demands the blood of the strong and I can tell you don't qualify as a good sacrifice…"said Hidan as he rudely picked his nose in front of Konohamaru.

Konohamaru blistered with anger but breathed out for this was the man who killed his uncle Asuma and as such was not to be underestimated.

Clenching his fists Konohamaru declared "Hidan of the Sarutobi Clan, I Konohamaru Sarutobi challenge you for the right to lead the clan into the next generation! The combat will be until one of us yields or dies as the custom marks. And on a personal note, I'll make you pay for all those you have killed and those you have fooled into your delusional belief!"

Hidan just snorted and said "Very well whelp, but don't say I didn't give you a chance!"

Konohamaru gulped and nodded as he stood in front of Hidan adopting a fairly basic fight stance as Hidan swung his scythe to his shoulder and grinned.

Time became still and thousands held their breath in anticipation as they awaited the two ninja to begin their assault.

Konohamaru began the duel with a quick series of Hand Signs that created a thick cloud of white smoke though no apparent attack came from the cloud which made every ninja wonder what kind of jutsu he enacted.

Hidan strained his eyes and soon he had managed to see a couple of limbs from his so called adversary.

Suddenly the cloud dispersed and in its place stood a scantily dressed brown haired girl with few puffs of smoke covering her most private areas.

At this everyone on the field almost face palmed on the ground but what defitively brought their brains to the ground was the fact that Hidan got a massive blush on his face and brought a hand to his face trying to stop a nose bleed.

"What the hell? Where's the Sarutobi brat? Why he sends a naked girl to fight me? Listen Lady, you better get out and get dressed!" said Hidan trying to not look at the girl.

Konohamaru grinned and said in the most girlish voice he could produce "But Lord Hidan! I came here so you took me as your girlfriend!"

At this Hidan blushed even harder and said between self-satisfactory laughs "Missy, please! I am in the middle of a duel and we haven't been introduced properly"

"Then let me convince you with a nice gesture!" said Konohamaru and crossing his fingers he said "Harem Jutsu!"

And suddenly dozens of Konohamarus surrounded Hidan, hugging him, blowing air into his ear and tickling him; making Hidan blush even more with a perverted grin.

As Hidan looked up to contain his lust the army of Konohamarus grinned and said "Enjoy this lord Hidan!"

At that Hidan looked down and saw that his body was covered in dozens of explosive tags, and then looking up he saw the lone girl wink at him and say "Boom!"

Hidan only blinked once incredulously as light consumed him and a large explosion sent a kinetic wave that made banners flutter in the face of two shocked factions who could barely process what just happened.

Konohamaru transformed back into his regular form and said "Yes! Who would have thought that the mighty Hidan would fall for something like that! Boss Naruto was right! Be as unpredictable as possible!"

"What are you going to do loser? Pray to your Jashin as you sob like a little girl!" screamed Konohamaru as he pointed to the smoking column.

On both sides of the conflict they mentally agreed that Konohamaru was not being exactly noble or worth much respect.

A "You bastard!" was heard from the smoke column and immediately after the giant three bladed scythe shot towards Konohamaru who barely dodged it, but the scythe was attached to a thick rope so it was pulled backwards directing all three blades at his chest.

Konohamaru managed to twist in the air sufficiently as to avoid the blades, though they did managed to cut a couple strands of his hair.

Konohamaru landed and got serious at last as Hidan stepped outside from the smoke column while his clothes were now rags and his skin was burned and marked horribly.

"You lowly brat! I'll make of you a particularly gruesome sacrifice to Jashin for playing with the heart of pure person!" growled Hidan making both factions grimace with his statement.

Konohamaru rolled his eyes up and said mockingly "Ha! Don't tell me you are a virgin? Only virgins have innocent hearts!"

Hidan turned red in anger and retorted "And what would a kid like you know? You are a virgin too I am sure!...crap…"

At this Konohamaru and several people on the wall laughed making Hidan even more angry.

Konohamaru looked smugly and said "And how do you think I know how does a real woman looks like huh? Well, what do I expect of a virgin?"

Hidan screamed an unintelligible curse and launch at Konohamaru with his scythe raised high.

Konohamaru realized that he just blew a fuse in Hidan's head so this was his opportunity to get an opening so he went through a series of hand signs and said "Mud Dragon Jutsu!" and slammed his hands on the ground.

On that moment from the ground a dragon head sprouted and attacked Hidan covering him in thick mud that made his movements slow almost to a grind as he attempted to get free.

After that Konohamaru decided to use his best bet to counter Hidan's massive weapon, and so bit his thumb and did the hand signs Anko drilled into his muscular memory despite not having a summon back at the day.

"Summoning Jutsu!" screamed Konohamaru and slammed his hand on the ground feeling drained of a lot of his chakra in a moment.

A small explosion took place and suddenly before Konohamaru was standing one of the most mythic creatures of the ninja world, the Monkey King: Enma in person.

The stern looking humanoid monkey dressed in combat armor and pelts observed Hidan struggling to get out and then turned to look at Konohamaru closely.

Enma snorted and said "So you are Konohamaru…you are shorter than your grandfather when he was your age…"

This made Konohamaru get a bit angry but let it pass and said almost pleadingly since he lacked any experience dealing with summoned creatures.

"Lord Enma, please lend me your help to fight this man! He killed my uncle and wants to topple the grandpa! And lead the Sarutobi astray!" said Konohamaru finding his resolve once more.

Enma snorted again and looking at Hidan he said "Of course kid…but next time don't embarrass yourself like that. I f you could summon me than that means you are worthy enough to command me in battle!"

And with that Enma transformed into a thick black pole with golden tips and fell into Konohamaru's hands, who in turn was surprised by how light was the weapon despite its size.

"Fight on young one, I'll lend you my strength and my wisdom of centuries to fight this coward!" said Enma instilling confidence into Konohamaru as they both got ready to meet the enraged and now very scary Hidan.

"Jashin isn't happy that his emergence is being delayed by stubborn fools…Death and Destruction are life's only certainties…Accepting and embracing them will set you free from fear and loneliness…Embracing them enlightens you beyond doubt and shows you the true path of happiness and away from the pain of living…" whispered Hidan in a growing growl as he moved his scythe to attack Konohamaru who reacted managing to deflect the attack with Enma.

In the next few moments both contenders exchanged lightning fast strikes that sent sparks flying into the air.

Konohamaru didn't understood well what was going on for he had never been this good or fast but reasoned that perhaps Enma was helping him. Still the blades of the scythe were coming very close to his arms and it would only take a small moment to draw blood.

The exchange lasted for a long time but at last both combatants became locked after a solid strike of both weapons.

On that moment Hidan removed a hand from his weapons and from beneath his ruined sleeved produced a black stave that aimed straight for Konohamaru's head.

Konohamaru panicked slightly and closed his eyes, but slightly opened them in confusion for no damage had come to him.

Konohamaru saw how Enma's hand was gripping Hidan's arm stopping the stave from even grazing Konohamaru.

"Never close your eyes young Sarutobi! Death can only claim you if you blink on its face! Think of all that you protect and gather your courage!" said Enma as he loudly crushed Hidan's arm making the demented Jashin worshiper gasp slightly as he withdrew with a ruined left arm.

Konohamaru observed how Hidan placed the arm back in place and grinned with demented pleasure etched on his face.

"How do I beat something like that?" whispered Konohamaru at Enma.

"Aren't you a ninja boy? Deception, smarts, creativity and guts are your weapon! This guy became a tank, so force him to show you his underbelly!" growled Enma back to Konohamaru.

Konohamaru pondered this words and thought of a plan based on the intelligence given to him by his teachers.

"Got it! King Enma, I am going to need you to slightly drop your guard and let him get a small cut from me!" said Konohamaru with determination.

Enma was about to reply something but growled an affirmation sensing Konohamaru's determination.

Konohamaru then decided to start the attack once more and Hidan replied with even more speed and ferocity putting Konohamaru to the defensive once more.

After a few moments, Konohamaru's grasp on Enma seemed to falter slightly and it was all Hidan needed to reach a bit further managing to cut a red line of the upper side of the younger ninja's hand.

Konohamaru withdrew immediately and placed Enma on the ground as he observed his hand with concern.

Hidan the let out a loud, victorious and demented laughter as he raised his scythe high into the air.

"At long last! Jashin will be pleased to take the last of the Sarutobi on this day!" screamed Hidan as he allowed a tiny drop of blood to fall into his open mouth.

Konohamaru gulped and immediately created a shadow clone next to him.

From a distance Hiruzen Sarutobi gripped the edge of the wall as he could barely contain the urge to jump in there and crush Hidan with his entire repertoire of Jutsu and decades of experience.

After drinking Konohamaru's blood Hidan struck the ground with the haft of his scythe and began to make a circle around him and within that circle he started to draw a perfect triangle.

As he did this Enma landed nest to him and wrestled with Hidan for the control of the scythe making Hidan grunt exasperatedly for he was so close to his victory.

Hidan kept struggling and after a few moments he was able to kick the monkey away from him for enough time to finish drawing the third line of the triangle and completing the curse seal on the ground.

And he did this in time to see two Konohamaru's running at him with astounding speed with a blue sphere swirling between them.

"Come to the embrace of Jashin!" screamed Hidan as he stretched his arms to receive in full the attack of the oblivious ninja, expecting it to be his own demise.

The moment the sphere connected with his flesh, Hidan knew then and there that something had gone terribly wrong for the sphere kept growing engulfing him and sending through his nerves intolerable levels of pain that the curse seal should be sending back to the boy, but he was grinning with no apparent pain etched on his face.

"Die monster!" screamed Konohamaru as he pressed on making the sphere to fully envelop Hidan and propelling him backwards to explode violently some ways from the curse mark.

The explosion ended soon after and in the crater was the inert form of Hidan who was covered in several wounds and bruises rendering his body incapable of moving due to it shutting down by automatic response to a pain so great and complete.

Hidan saw upwards where the sun finally broke through the thick clouds directly above him showering with golden rays.

Hidan thought for a moment how pretty it was and then in the middle of that light was Konohamaru going through several hand signs.

Konohamaru yelled "Dragon Breath Jutsu!" and opening his mouth wide a very thick torrent of fire fell like a hammer on top of Hidan who couldn't do anything to avoid it"

As the fire started to consume his body, Hidan couldn't feel anything for the shocked state of his body, but he could see how his skin peeled off and became ashes that flew to the sky. Then and there a sudden serenity dawned on Hidan and he felt something he hadn't felt since he was a child and thought himself incapable of anymore, peace like he only felt when in the embrace of a long dead mother.

Hidan felt himself free from the grip of Jashin and lifting hand he smiled kindly for one last time in his unfortunate life.

Konohamaru burned his chakra as hard as he could and after what seemed entire minutes he couldn't keep shooting flames from his mouth and began to fall unable to move due to chakra exhaustion.

As he fell to the well of fire he had created he smiled knowing he had given his all and so he felt content. But right before he fell into the fire, Enma caught him in midair and carried him safely to the ground.

Soon after they landed Enma and Konohamaru looked at the fire consume itself while holding their breath fearing that such a lethal combination had been insufficient to bring down Hidan.

But breathed out in relief when all that remained was a human scorched mark on the ground.

Konohamaru almost closed his eyes but kept them open when a thunderous wail erupted from Hidan's followers.

Hundreds began to scream in unbelief that the immortal prophet of Jashin had been so utterly slain when so many other wounds couldn't even slow him down.

Seeing this Konohamaru gathered his strength and walked in front of them and rising his arms he began "Brothers and sisters of Sarutobi! Please don't despair!"

At this Hidan's followers reduced their screams to whimpers and listened.

"Long before Hidan or my grandpa lived, the Sarutobi clan and its neighbors already inhabited this lands! And long before their time we had successfully survived many conflicts with the other powers of the Land of Fire! You followed Hidan because you were afraid of the future and the countless doubts residing in it! But even if we lose all those things that make us feel safe and confident, we have no other choice but carry on! That's what the Will of Fire is for me! No matter what's sacrificed or lost, we have to carry on into the future we want! And if you can't trust your strength, then trust in that of the person next to you! As I trust my friends, my teammates and my teachers! We are all Sarutobi and if you can, please trust me to protect your dreams and hopes!" finished saying Konohamaru as exhaustion finally claimed him and fell asleep.

The sun finally broke through the clouds washing everyone in golden light and with that Hidan's followers dropped the banners of Jashin to the ground and kneeling in front og Konohamaru submitted themselves to the judgment of their brothers and sisters who didn't allowed the Will of Fire to be drowned by fear.

The defenders of Gran Fire then sallied for to secure Hidan's followers from their weapons and bond them until Lord Hiruzen decided on their punishment for their crimes against the Clan.

Hiruzen and Danzo walked side by side until they were on top of the incomplete curse seal Hidan had attempted to draw on the ground to vanquish Konohamaru.

They both saw that the seal was lacking the final part of the last line on the triangle and as such the seal was never activated.

"I don't believe Hidan would fail to draw his seal properly before allowing himself to be attacked freely" said Hiruzen.

"Even the greatest ninjas make mistakes Hiruzen" replied Danzo.

"I think I smell ink Danzo…" said Hiruzen looked sideways at Danzo.

"And I think you should be grateful Hiruzen. The future of the clan is secure and the Will of Fire will be carried beyond our graves" replied Danzo while landing his gaze on the inert form of Konohamaru who was now drooling as he slept peacefully.

"I am grateful my grandson is alive Danzo, and to know you did had the Will of Fire within you as well after all this time" said Hiruzen as he went to check on Konohamaru.

Danzo just grunted slightly and went back to the shadows of Gran Fire from where he and his followers would continue to do what was needed to preserve the Fire and the Clan.

**AN: Done in Record Time!**

**Inspiration can be such a fickle thing don't you agree? At first I couldn't write anything and the next minute, bam! Over 11k words!**

**Anyway, we are almost done with the story and the next two chapters will be it for The Wandering Sage!**

**Those two chapters will basically be the wrap up of the Sarutobi arc, the mandatory lemon and a recount of every character Naruto has met in his journey through the Land of Fire!**

**To those who still remember or care, I know I said at the beginning that I would define a pairing for the story but after writing so many chapters, I think that defining a pairing by now would be forced and inappropriate so it will go undefined until and if, I write the rest of Naruto's journeys through the other elemental nations where he would meet up with other girls.**

**For the time being, I am going to finish this thing and then finish You Came From a Tale as well to give myself room for Crescent Moon Academy and a new project.**

**I'll let you know about that new project in the coming chapters so be sure to stay tuned!**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	31. The Will to Move On

**Chapter 30: The Will to Move On**

**Early AN: Warning! There will be a lemon on this chapter so if you aren't into that kind of literature then please by all means don't read and don't complain with the site! I am one more chapter away from the end of the story!**

Some days have gone by since the Cult of Jashin came to an end and Hidan was finally laid to rest in a small grave dug by Hiruzen himself as an apology for not being there for him when whatever had horribly gone wrong in his life.

Konohamaru almost took two days to wake up and be greeted by his teammates Udon and Moegi and his former sensei who had served his punishment for the incident at the hot springs.

Konohamaru though was punch into oblivion by Moegi when he thought that he deserved a reward and squeezed her butt and even have the nerve to complain over its size and plumpness.

Naruto and Anko had also been interned in the hospital for multiple wounds.

Anko had several ribs broken after Kakuzu's last furious attack and Naruto apparently had messed his hand badly after using his new jutsu which prowess had been enough to consume the monstrous ninja into nothingness demonstrating that indeed a technique with superb chakra and elemental chakra control was every bit as powerful as theorists had proposed.

Lord Sarutobi had passed judgment over those belonging to the Cult of Jashin and each and every one of them were sentenced to forced labor in the reconstruction and reconstitution of everything they had destroyed during their delusion so a time of rebuilding and insight followed suit though rumors had it that Danzo had wanted them executed over treason.

Konohamaru had been named successor but until he met the requirements to lead properly the Clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi would remain as regent in times of peace he so richly deserved. And that also meant that Konohamaru's training would upped and improved with political lessons from Danzo himself, a prospect no one envied of him.

And so Clan Sarutobi was strong and secure for whatever the future had in store for them…and with that Naruto, the new Toad Sage and now long time traveler in the Land of Fire found himself at the end of the circle he began by the side of the Senju.

After all this time he had helped many, made many friends, and well, you know, been very active under the sheets and above them.

Now Naruto found himself resting in a public hot spring which waters were warmed by the dormant pockets of volcanic activity beneath the city.

He sighed as he relaxed and flexed his hand several times knowing that it was healing though more slowly than in other occasions so he would have to work on the after effects of his new destructive jutsu or maybe find a way to make it a long range one.

"Where to go now? I pretty much traveled through all of the Land of Fire, visited every Clan, helped a lot of people and…well that too…" though Naruto with a slight blush.

"Maybe it's time to go home and visit Father and the toads…" thought Naruto as he poured more water over his head.

"Or maybe I should visit the other Elemental Lands? Back at Three Peaks I saw a map of all those places and maybe they are in need of a hand…too much…"thought Naruto as he scratched his head in confusion over what else to do.

"Then again, I could head north back to the Senju and…" started to think Naruto when he heard the door to the spring slide open.

Naruto guessed that someone else had come to enjoy the hotspring though it was very late and a lot of people had already withdrawn to rest from the celebrations that have been raging on since the showdown at the gates of the city.

Deciding it was enough for him, he turned to grab his towel but was greeted by the sight of a couple of slender feet at the base of pool.

Turning to look up, he beheld the voluptuous form of a grinning Anko who had half closed eyes and her hair tied up high to avoid getting it wet.

Anko's body was only covered by a small towel she held barely covering the most important areas and little else.

At this Naruto's face turned an unhealthy shade of red an the first thing he could do was to turn around and sink in the water until only his nose stood above to let him breathe.

"Oh ho! Sage boy! I didn't knew you were such a pervert! You were waiting for me didn't you?" said Anko stepping into the water and sitting across Naruto who once more turned around to avoid landing his gaze on her and have the most natural response.

"A-A-Anko! What are you doing here? This is the men's side!" blurted Naruto through the water as he made way for the edge of the pool to escape a dangerous situation where he could be named a pervert like his father.

"What are you saying? This pool becomes mixed after midnight, you know for the more intimate couples! Ha ha ha!" laughed Anko as she dragged close a small tray with a bottle of sake and two serving dishes.

"Come on Sage Boy! Get over here and celebrate with me! Besides, it's not like I am the first naked girl you see! Remember you basically confessed to having ravaged girls on the four corners of the country?" said Anko with high spirits.

Naruto felt a bit ashamed of not being goo to keep secrets and sighing he swam carefully to where Anko sat by.

Naruto sat by her side making certain to keep his package as hidden as possible and his eyes on the opposite direction from Anko's body.

Anko served him a cup and then leant back staring at the stars shining above Gran Fire.

"Boy! You sure know how to drag trouble behind you! But then again, I guess a thank you is in order for the hero of the day! Though everyone is giving credit to Konohamaru! Must anger you a little bit don't ya!" said Anko downing her cup and serving another.

"Not really. He defeated Hidan after all! Besides as a Sage, it's not my goal to become famous or receive reward different than see my friends safe and the world in peace" said Naruto as he took careful sips from his drink noting how strong was the Sake and his lack of experience drinking.

Anko spared him a glance and grinned as she silently approached his back and whispered in his ear while pressing he chest against his broad back.

"How noble of you, still I would like to give you a reward of mine…" said Anko in a low tone as Naruto shivered in slight pleasure.

Naruto though snapped out of it quickly and move apart from Anko a few steps in the pool.

"Anko! Please, you really don't have to do that!" began to say Naruto when ten set of nails dug into his skin and spun him around to face Anko's angry face.

"Alright listen up you phony prude! You have screwed the brains out of several girls in the Land of Fire and if you managed to bag two girls at the same time then you must pack quite a punch with you! So you'll stop your stalling and accept the fact that you and I are going to do it like rabbits about to go extinct!" said Anko as she pressed her body against Naruto's who was by now blushing terribly and trying to keep his composure which was fading exponentially by now.

As Naruto closed his eyes to try and resist a bit more while thinking of convincing words to sway Anko, he still took a little peek at Anko and his eyes went wide with what he saw. For Anko were blushing harder than he was, her eyes downwards avoiding Naruto's and her lips trembling.

"What the?...Anko?" said Naruto gently placing his hands on her shoulders with a puzzled look as his arousal diminished slightly.

"Come on you idiot!" said Anko as she pressed her body even closer to his and with her leg caressed Naruto's manhood earning a gasp from him as it worked better than he thought.

"Woah! Calm down there Anko! You don't seem very into it if I am to judge the face you are putting right now!" said Naruto as Anko's face distorted even worse into the sheer representation of nervousness.

"D-D-Don't mind me you idiot! Just get on with it!" half screamed Anko as she went to give a small bite of Naruto's ear earning a pleased gasp.

"W-Wait Anko! Could it be that you are a …?" began to say Naruto when Anko placed a hand on his mouth and growled at him.

"Would I be here if I were a virgin? Would I do stuff like this if I were a virgin?" said Anko as she rubbed her leg again against Naruto's manhood making him moan involuntarily.

Naruto removed her hand and managed to push her slightly back and said "The more you deny it the more I think you are! If that's the case then let's stop and get out and talk it over"

"No you won't!" said Anko as her hand darted into the water a grabbed something fleshy that made her blush and Naruto freeze in terror.

"Look Sage boy! We are doing it because I want to do it and you deserve a reward so let's kill two birds with one stone! Understood?" hissed Anko with now pure determination on her eyes.

Naruto seeing the situation he was into just nodded and got to work…

**XXX LEMON XXX LEMON XXX LEMON XXX**

Naruto shot forward and caught Anko in a kiss that made her eyes go slightly wide but as soon as the surprise faded she started to reciprocate with her own moves.

Naruto reached down and grabbed Anko's hand immediately intertwining their hands as he used his other hand to grab Anko's rear lifting her and pushing her against the edge of the pool where they kept making out in a progressively intensifying way.

After a few moments of making out, Naruto and Anko parted from one another with a thin string of saliva connecting their panting mouths.

Naruto's hand went behind Anko's head and undid her hair making it flow around her reddened face while he stepped closer beginning to rub his body against hers as to get her ready.

"Anxious aren't we?" said Anko with a strand of her hair falling across her face as she smiled sultrily and pushed Naruto back a bit making him grunt.

"Now let me try something big boy…" said Anko as she took a long breathe and submerged under the water.

Naruto was a bit puzzled but soon the sensation of Anko's mouth made his throw his head back in pleasure.

After a while and feeling already on the verge of release, Anko stopped and sprouted from the water with a long intake of air and a slight scream of ecstasy.

"Wow! You really are a big boy Naruto!" said Anko as she leant back on the edge of the pool and beckoned Naruto to get closer.

Naruto grinned slightly and advanced at Anko quickly taking her right leg and lifting it to wrap it around his waist as he positioned himself ready to impale her and start thrusting.

"Woah, wait a bit Naruto! Give me a moment!" quickly said Anko trying to stand on her toes though this only gave Naruto the perfect angle and he shot forward earning a breathless gasp from Anko who threw her head back.

Naruto kept pushing until he felt himself completely inside Anko who had now thrown her head to rest by Naruto's side as she recovered her breath.

"You dumbass! You have to let a lady prepare…" said Anko with a reddened face as she got into a more comfortable position just the moment Naruto started to piston slowly in and out of her with barely constrained strength making Anko heave slowly and drawing short whimpers from her.

After a while Naruto grunted and picked up the pace making Anko cling to him as her breaths started to become faster and shorter and her grip on Naruto loosened making her jolt every time Naruto thrust harder and harder.

Anko then managed to push herself back from Naruto observing the feral grin on his face making her in turn feel even more excited for never before had anyone looked at her in such a manner.

Anko lifted her other leg and wrapped it around Naruto further pushing him into her as Naruto grunted and sped even more smashing himself into Anko who had now a glazed stare and her mouth half opened.

Anko then felt a rising pressure in her nether regions which she managed to register enough for her to once more lean on Naruto and await the inevitable to happen.

Naruto grunted one last time and buckled his hips with Anko's allowing himself to explode inside of her triggering Anko's own release of pent up stress and exhaustion as she bit on Naruto's shoulder to stifle the scream rising in her throat.

Managing to refocus her sight and recover her breath, Anko pulled back and removing more hair from her face she said between gasps "That was better than I ever imagined it would be…I won't say it twice so…thank you"

Naruto broke from his won reverie and said with a wide grin "I knew you were a virgin! Anyway, why thank me?"

Leaning in for a long kiss Anko said "Because I gave my first time, with a man, to a decent fellow…"

Naruto had a puzzled look that made Anko laugh out loud back into her usual character.

"Well, it's not like I am a good girl Naruto! Once I hit puberty I started to explore my body, get a lot of naughty literature like the one you promised Konohamaru and played with lots of toys! And I played with those toys with other girls stud…" said Anko kissing Naruto again.

"Really?" asked Naruto as he was starting to recover and proceed to the next round feeling more eager than before.

Feeling his rising, Anko placed a hand on his chest and said "Just a moment Naruto…"

With that Anko grabbed a small wooden bucket and threw it with peerless speed and accuracy towards a tree branch where it struck something solid that let out a girlish scream. A moment later something fell from the tree with a loud noise.

Naruto went wide eyed as Anko grinned an narrowed her eyes and said "Now now Yugao, I thought you hated perverts and last time I checked peeping toms were included in that category…"

Yugao lifted from the ground while rubbing her head and with a huge blush plastered on her face.

Yugao started to panic and just blurted "I-I-I was just trying to … because it was your… and we were…oh crap!"

Anko then grinned even further and said "Oh, so someone else is watching? Would that person be so kind as to step forward?"

Suddenly a wooden post started to shape shift and change colors as it turned into a distinctively feminine figure.

"Honestly Yugao, this is why we never send you in to spying missions!" said Kurenai stepping forward while wrapped in a towel as her normal attire would become wet and heavy in the baths.

Anko just laughed hard while Naruto just remained still not knowing what the hell was going on.

Anko then grabbed Naruto's jaw and kissing his cheek he said "Guess who were my plaything back then?"

This made Naruto, Yugao and Kurenai go crimson with the surge of pictures conjured by Anko's words.

"You slut! You promised to never tell anyone!" screamed an indignant Yugao.

"Oh come on, I know why you two followed me here, and I know it's just not to guard my oh so special virginity! You want a piece of this!" said Anko while turning Naruto's reddened face towards the other girls who turned their faces blushing making Naruto go wide eyed.

"S-S-Screw you slut!" said Yugao.

"G-Grow up Anko!" complimented Kurenai.

"I am a girl too you know? And I know for a fact that you two haven't had a good *humping* since you are hands free widow" said Anko looking at Kurenai who scowled with a defeated expression.

"And you, you probably have even managed to work a sweat with Hayate despite having been together with him all this time! The poor guy somehow manages to pull of some neat sword moves but the moment he stops fighting he crumbles!" said Anko making Yugao blister with anger.

"I think I should get out while you guys sort this out…"began to say Naruto as he sensed a coming battle between three kunoichi.

Clasping Naruto's shoulder with astounding strength Anko's eyes shined and said "Not yet mister invincible Sage!"

Then Anko turned to her comrades and said "Just enjoy yourselves tonight girls! We can go back to normal tomorrow, and I promise to keep this to myself!"

Kurenai and Yugao were about to retort Anko but when they looked her face full of honest joy they just couldn't resist it anymore and sighing began to undress while Naruto had a hard time figuring out what the hell was going on…

**XXX LEMON END XXX LEMON END XXX LEMON END XXX**

The next day saw Naruto and the girls still sprawled around the hot springs as apparently they had engaged in one of the most intense sex of their lives to the point where they kept at it until the first rays of sun pierced the sky above Gran Fire.

Once they had a quickie and took a shower the four got out of the hot springs with very different attitudes.

Where Naruto, Kurenai and Yugao had bug blushes and embarrassed faces Anko was already with a Dango stick in her mouth and the biggest grin the Sarutobi had seen in their history.

This in turn made Naruto and the others to smile sheepishly for they truly didn't had any regrets regarding what happened last night for Anko was right, they needed a release.

"We totally have to do that again!" screamed Anko with a gentle smile for her most loving people.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

During the last days of festivities, Konohamaru had been officially inducted as heir to the clan to take office at his coming of age.

Congratulations arrived from the other great clans along with a couple of commendations for the Sage who had helped them in months past.

Konohamaru though wasn't all that pleased for his teachings would now include etiquette, politics and economics besides his skills as a ninja.

Naruto had made good on his promise and gave Konohamaru a copy of his Icha Icha book though Kurenai was quick to remove it and pledge to give it back when he was of age to read such stuff making the young man make a promise to recover it from her before that. A challenged her teachers accepted for it would help the young leader further his training.

Now Naruto stood at a crossroads for the time to make up his mind about his next journey had come and he still wavered with his options.

"A Dango stick for your thoughts Sage boy!" said Anko from behind the thinking Naruto.

"Oh hello Anko, I was just here thinking where to go next" replied Naruto looking at the setting sun.

"You could always stay here and have as many foursomes as you want! I bet the girls won't mind though they will feel guilty every time" said Anko with a playful smile.

Naruto thought that it was a good bargain though he knew he wouldn't be able to accept for his duties came first and he still needed to find a way to bring lasting peace and on the path perhaps figure out things about himself and his origin for after all these experiences, he had come to the realization that there was more to what he has been told by Jiraiya or the Toads.

"I am leaving…" said Naruto not looking at Anko.

"I know…your place isn't here, at least not yet anyway…" replied Anko sounding very mature despite her typical behavior.

"Though I don't know where to go…" said Naruto.

"You planning to go back to the other clans and check things are going well?" asked Anko.

"No, I have to trust my friends and their strength to look after themselves. I just helped them get into the good path and I'll help again if needed" said Naruto.

Nodding Anko gave Naruto his last Dango stick and said "Then you must go beyond the Land of Fire. Plenty of havoc going on out there too"

Naruto ate the Dango quickly and asked "Like what?"

"Most closely would be the Land of Wind. Nasty rumors of a demon drying their precious oasis's and killing their Shinobi" said Anko setting her sight towards the West.

Naruto closed his eyes and nodded "Then to Wind it is…"

"Just make sure you come back some day…" whispered Anko as she turned Naruto's head and kissed him with passion as the sun finally gave way to the star filled night.

**AN: Done!**

**What an emotion! Almost finished!**

**Bet you wanted a lemon with the other girls too! Sorry but I am not very good with lemons and the main romantic interest here was with Anko, so I though it better to end it where I did. Use your imagination to fill the gaps!**

**Next chapter will be the end for the first part of The Wandering Sage and the conclusion of my first fanfic since I started it over two years ago! So some cheer would be greatly appreciated!**

**After this I'll update my profile and post a poll as to what should be the subject of my next story!**

**Some of the ideas I am currently shuffling are as follows:**

**A Sengoku Rance (A very cool and funny hentai game) style story but with Naruto and other characters to fill in. Sadly with no lemons since the site went ballistic on them…**

**A story where Naruto lands as an alien invader to earth (similar to invader Zim in concept though with a romantic plot)**

**A drama story where Naruto is raised by a vindictive original character of mine.**

**A drama Sasuke centered story based in one of the stories by "The Lord of Fire" one of the best authors here and one of my inspirations to start writing.**

**A romantic comedy where Sakura, Ino and Hinata become maids at a Maid Café.**

**A Last Exile, like story of war with Naruto and company.**

**And so far that's all I have in my head…so if you want to give an opinion or propose ideas, please do and know that I'll reply to you about them!**

**Next chapter will be an account of every character seen on this part of the Wandering Sage and the conclusion to the story as Naruto begins his journeys beyond the Land of Fire.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	32. See you some day!

**Chapter 31: See you some day!**

Naruto, Anko, Kurenai and Yugao stood at the border of the Land of Fire with the Land of Wind where heading into the west a seemingly endless desert of fine sand stretched onwards to the west where the legendary city of Sand Pearl was seat to the kingdom of the Sabaku family who have ruled the deserts since the first ninja claimed the land as their own.

Recent rumor speaks that a great curse has befallen the desert ninja with many more hardships than the desert usually brings and that the few priced oasis's that give some life to the otherwise barren lands were starting to dry and it was all due to the actions of a demon.

Whether this was true or not, the fact remained that the Land of Fire and some of its clans had seen its trade with Wind dwindle and the number of refugees increase considerably.

As it was his duty, Naruto had decided to travel to such strange lands and see if his skills as Sage could be of some good for the people of Wind.

"Now, don't try just to walk westwards! The desert is a very dangerous place even for the hardiest of folk if you don't know how it gives life and how it takes it! Here's a map of the oasis between this border post and Sand Pearl!" explained Yugao as she handed over a map that did not relied on geographic positions but instead on distance time and headings for the shifting sands of the desert made for treacherous ground to tread upon.

"There should be people tending each of the oasis's so if you are in doubt pay a small fee and they should guide you better, perhaps even offer you a ride if you are lucky and find traders" complimented Kurenai as she packed as many bottles of water she could into Naruto's pack.

"The desert folks are hardy and untrusting of foreigners so treat them with respect and keep your conversations short" added Anko as she stared straight into the west.

Naruto checked himself and wondered why he was so covered if he was going into an obviously scorching hot land but if the girls said that he should be covered from the sun, then who was he to argue?

Staring at the stretching desert he turned to the girls and said "Well, I am off…I'll miss you and everyone in Fire…"

Yugao and Kurenai blushed slightly and just contented themselves with kissing his cheeks while Anko went in for a deep one and whispered "You can still stay and play all you want with us Sage boy!"

Naruto laughed and caressed her face making the usually grinning Anko falter slightly with a blush.

"I'll return some day! I promise…" finished saying Naruto as he turned and started walking into the desert.

As Naruto walked away without turning back he took the compass Sakura had mailed him long ago and when reading the inscription "Come back to me!" he turned to the clear sunny sky and sighed aloud "Wonder how they are?"

**Clan Senju Lands.**

The Senju Clan experienced a time of renewal that reignited ancient hopes for Nawaki's rule was a very active and proactive one that saw the clan reform its armed forces and stretch its influence to the very limit of its borders with the other clans and the Land of Lightning to the North.

The clan had expanded to those territories considered lawless and brought new opportunities for a lot of people who immediately swore loyalty to their new lords.

Tsunade Senju as princess of the clan acted as the more public hand of Nawaki's rule so she found herself away from her beloved little brother quite often and part of it she was sure was because of the rumors where she insisted on trying to take baths with him still.

And so where the great Tsunade marched to, her apprentice followed dutifully as a demonstration of the clan's power whenever there trouble.

Currently Tsunade and Sakura where overseeing the proper integration of the port town of Taki, the place where along with Naruto had stopped the infiltration of the Momochi Raiders into the lands of Senju and also the place where Sakura had lost her, you know to you know who.

So Sakura had taken it as a personal mission to change a slimy, stinking port town full of casinos and whorehouses into one she could someday tell others was a beautiful romantic town by the ocean where she had given herself to a living legend!

After that confrontation where they had also met the infamous Kitara Uchiha, Tsunade had realized that she had gone too soft on Sakura and for that reason she had stepped up her training regime and proceeded to begin teaching her the most complicated healing jutsus and allowed her to sign the slug contract.

And Sakura managed to deliver for she also wanted to become stronger after she heard of Naruto's many exploits across the Land of Fire. That and the fact that she received a letter from that snot nosed princess Ino saying that she had gotten Naruto to deflower as well!

Taki had transformed greatly under their brutal and efficient rule and now it was a bustling port that made trade with the Land of Water and the faction that was opposed to the Momochi Raiders and it had also closed its waters to the slave traders from the Land of Lightning.

Where one used to see casinos and whorehouses now one saw fisheries, storehouses, inns and trading markets.

And so with their work almost done, Sakura and Tsunade were relaxing at the artificial hot springs of the hotel that was built in the place where used to be the hotel where they had spent that wonderful kinky night with the now famous Sage.

"You think he'll come back?" asked Sakura as she stretched her sore muscles after another day of grueling work and training with Tsunade, who in turn had surprised her with how much she had been holding back all this years.

"This has to be like the hundredth time you ask me that…And yes, he may come back at some point though I am not a seer to guess when" replied Tsunade as she sipped from a Sake dish by the side of the pool.

"It's only that he has been for so long and right now he's at the Sarutobi lands! That's just a couple of days southwest from the capital! I want to see him!" whined Sakura with closed eyes.

Tsunade sighed and just said "If he comes back I am sure you'll be there to screw his brains out I am sure but on the meantime how about you focus on your duties?"

This in turn made Sakura blush and get mad at the same time.

"I take them seriously! And I just want to be his side! Every other guy in Senju is a wuss with no guts!" said Sakura holding a fist.

"Ohh? Does that include my adored little brother?" said Tsunade with a dangerous light in her eyes.

Sakura lowered her face and gulping she said "O-Of course not! But the clan leader isn't going to lay his eyes on a girl older than him, not to mention that he's to marry an important woman I am sure!..."

Tsunade grinned and laughed hard letting know Sakura that she was just messing with her.

"Well, I wouldn't wait for too long Sakura. Sages aren't known to have fixed addresses or settle down to have a family, at least not in the traditional sense since Naruto was raised by a pervert and bunch of Toads!" said Tsunade trying to put some sense in her apprentice.

Sakura seemed a little deflated by this but she still raised her fist and said "Still, If I have to I'll find a way!"

Sighing Tsunade leant back and stared at the starry sky.

"Ravings apart, what do you think of our good Naruto going around saving the world?" asked Tsunade in a more formal tone.

Sakura lowered her fist and also leant back against the pool's edge and replied "Well I think that's great! I mean, saving villages, stopping civil wars and toppling maniacs is the stuff legends are made from"

"Yes its true, but still it makes you wonder…" continued Tsunade.

"What do you mean master?" asked Sakura now interested in Tsunade's line of thought.

"Well, Sages don't just come to the world at random…The last one came to put an end to one of the most brutal wars our clans had seen since Madara Uchiha rained fire and war on the entire Land of Fire. And the peace that followed saw our clan decline, the Uchiha become even stronger, the Hyuuga almost destroy themselves and the Sarutobi stumble into madness" said Tsunade with serious eyes despite the alcohol in her blood.

"If you put them like that it sounds quite ominous, but Naruto came by and saved the day! I mean, Lord Nawaki is leading us with such vigor that the rest of the clan can barely follow him! And the Uchiha have that asshole of Sasuke leading them and he became friends with Naruto if news are to be trusted. The Hyuuga's are now one people at last and the Sarutobi have taken the first step beyond the old guard! Now peace has a fighting chance to last in the Land!" said Sakura trying to cheer Tsunade up.

Tsunade didn't commented further but the truth was that every time a Sage made himself or herself known to the world was amidst a great calamity befalling the world. And while she wanted Naruto's presence to be a positive thing for the world, her instincts and experience told her that the crisis revolving in the Land of Fire are just symptoms of something much bigger, sinister and dangerous.

Naruto had come and putted an end to several problems around Fire but still the other Lands faced their own problems and that they were in need of a Sage only made her worry about the near future.

Still she wasn't a seer like High Priestess Shion to divine the future so it didn't do her any good to worry about it so much, the best she could do now was to support her clan, guide her brother and prepare Sakura for whatever the world threw at them.

Sighing and smiling again, Tsunade went over to where Sakura was sitting and placing an arm around her she leant her head on her and said "Right now I am very happy Sakura! And I too want Naruto to come back! There's plenty of stuff I still want to teach you kids!"

"Master! Don't be such a pervert! And stop rubbing your breasts on my face!" whined Sakura as she and Tsunade got into a naughty water fight that many men would kill to see…

**At Three Peaks.**

Yawn…Crunch…Sigh… where the only noises coming from a bench at the flower park of the Yamanaka district of the city the three clans of the central valley shared as brothers.

Yawn…Crunch…Sigh…

"Enough!" screamed Ino getting up from the bench she was sharing with her teammates and childhood friends.

"Yawn…enough of what? And do you have to scream?" replied the sleepy and slightly annoyed Shikamaru.

Ino made a couple of gestures and basically pointed at Shikamaru and Chouji.

"This! It's so boring! And lame!" complained Ino.

"Oh, I am sorry Ino! Here, have some chips!" said the cheerful Chouji handing over his bag of chips.

Ino's eyes lit up with hellish light and grabbing the bag she crunched it and turned every chip in it into flavored dust before giving it back to the teary Chouji.

"Curses! Nothing cool to do around!" complained Ino as she kicked Shikamaru out of the bench and sat again fuming over nothing apparently.

"Troublesome…I don't know what you expect, we live in the central valley and we are surrounded by the big players of Fire, I am not certain what you expect us to do besides watching our own lands…" said Shikamaru laying back on the grass next to the bench.

Ino wanted to retort but she realized that Shikamaru was right, they couldn't move much and they had to content themselves with keeping their valley safe from expansionist ideas from the other powers of Fire.

"It's only that Naruto is out there doing all those exciting things and writing history while we…I wither here just guarding an old border! I'll grow old and unimportant! And what's worse! Forehead is going to become even a greater ninja than I!" complained Ino in a girlish manner that made Chouji chuckle and Shikamaru turn around to ignore her.

"But isn't it better like this?" said Chouji bringing up a new bag of chips.

"What do you mean?" asked a quizzical Ino.

"Well, I grant you that Naruto is on a very interesting journey and one could even say that he's living great adventures…But that's his duty isn't it? To go help people and nations to be safe and survive, and to do that he always throws himself in harm's way" said Chouji drawing the interest of his teammates.

"But he does all these and as time goes he'll start to get hurt and perhaps someday get killed, after all he's also a ninja like us. Don't you think if he had a choice, would he pick to be here among friends and safe?" said Chouji munching his chips while Ino became deflated and Shikamaru sighed as he observed the clouds drift away.

"Sorry…" said Ino turning her face to see some flowers rocking gently at the wind.

"Still as troublesome as it is, I do like a good mission from time to time…" said Shikamaru.

"That's why we'll be heading out tomorrow to the Clans of Fire" said Shikamaru drawing Chouji and Ino's attention.

"What?" asked Ino.

"Well, there are new leaders all across Fire so as the residents of the central valley we have to present our respects is we want to keep our independence intact…"mumbled Shikamaru making Ino squeal in delight and Chouji grin while munching his chips.

"Wahoo! Road trip! I am going to buy so many dresses, jewelry and shoes, oh so beautiful shoes!" screamed Ino.

"I'll get to taste foreign delicacies and with them strengthen my taste!" said Chouji as if he was going to learn new forbidden jutsu.

Sighing Shikamaru said "You do know that we'll have to do a lot of diplomatic niceties right?"

This made his teammates deflate and go back to a Yawn…Crunch…Sigh cycle.

**At Fire Breath.**

Kitara rocked back and forth from a bench as she observed the occasional flashes of steel connect with one another only to part quickly after.

Normal people would think she's just staring at an empty training ground but the eyes of Shinobi and specially those of an Uchiha would see two high level ninja go at it with barely restrained fervor as they exchanged attacks, parries and feints.

She observed a sun clock by the edge of the yard and she nodded to an aide to hit a gong that signaled the end of the training.

At the sound, in twin swirls of dust, Sasuke and Kakashi appeared one in front of the other with sweat dripping from their exerted faces.

Both Shinobi observed one another for a moment with their Sharingan activated and after deciding that neither was going to continue the fight, they breathed out and closed their eyes.

"Congratulations Sasuke! You are finally at my level!" exclaimed a cheery Kakashi that made people wonder if he was being honest or just fooling around.

Sasuke didn't seemed to accept the compliment and just grunted "It isn't enough though…"

Kitara approached with towels and water bottles for the contestants and said "Great job! You have improved a lot cousin!"

Sighing, Sasuke did acknowledge his cousin's praise and said "Thanks, but I still need to get stronger…"

Kitara sighed and followed Sasuke to his daily activities.

In the time since their mission to the land of Waves and his ascendance to the position of Clan Leader, Sasuke in the opinion of his cousin had bloomed wonderfully showing the fine blood running through his veins.

Sasuke had taken to the managerial duties of a clan leader wonderfully well and had quickly earned the respect and admiration of those who could have possibly doubted him given his youth and stubborn behavior; Though he had decided to keep the large military in place given that the other powers of Fire seemed to have consolidated themselves at the passing of Naruto.

On the training issue, Sasuke had established an efficient regime of training with Kakashi and herself given that Itachi was not only a master fighter but also a prodigy in the use of genjutsu and so he wanted to be the best at countering both styles and as far as Kitara was concerned Sasuke had already matched them evenly and it wouldn't be long before he surpassed them.

Kitara was worried that Sasuke's current drive stemmed from his desire for vengeance against Itachi.

She had decided to avoid telling Sasuke of his father's plans to start a new war taking advantage of the weakened state of the other clans of Fire, for she was certain that he would not believe her and could even go as far as have her removed from the palace. Instead she would remain close to try and keep him in the path of peace Itachi had sacrificed everything to keep.

Sasuke had also won muscle and allowed his hair to grow larger than usual making some people say that he resembled Lord Madara more than any other Uchiha born ever since he walked the world at the front of his clan.

And that unnerved Kitara for where people praised Madara as the greatest Uchiha to ever live and one of the strongest ninja in history, he was also responsible for the most violent period of carnage the clans of Fire had ever known.

She only prayed that Sasuke would not follow such path.

The trio came to the grand hall where Sasuke was to carry the rest of the day managing the clan, and already there was Mikoto, the clan mother who was at the time overseeing minor day to day business that needed some attention from the clan leadership.

Mikoto had her hair growing again and though she had suffered for her husband's death, Kitara always suspected she cried more for losing Itachi than Fugaku, though as any strong woman she would do what was required of her in the name of her remaining family.

Servants rushed to Sasuke's side and draped him with the white cape of the Uchiha and brought to him several scrolls for his view only.

"Sasuke! How went your training dear?" asked Mikoto dispelling Kitara's thoughts.

Sasuke then smiled sweetly at his mother and said "It went well mother. Kakashi and Kitara say that soon they will be learning from me!"

This made Kitara and Kakashi to pop a small vein but understood that Sasuke still behaved a bit childishly around his mother. Not to mention that his words carried some truth to them.

"Excellent! Here at the hall, things are going well too and you'll be glad to know that we just got news from Naruto! Apparently he helped the Sarutobi settle their succession issues, I have already prepared a small delegation with gifts to congratulate the young heir" said Mikoto passing a small scroll with the more detailed news of Naruto's account.

Sasuke quickly read them and flashed a smile that Kitara would kill to see more often for it was a smile of sheer honest joy.

"It seems the dobe is doing well for himself…It should be fun to travel with him…"said Sasuke as he took his seat and had a servant display the first scroll for him.

Mikoto and Kitara smiled happily but it all went to the ground when Kakashi said "You should write him a love letter if you miss him that much!"

With a growl, Kitara and Mikoto made him disappear while Sasuke didn't seemed to be bothered which in turn made the women worry for completely unjustified reasons…

"Oh Sasuke! I almost forgot! There's an issue that require your urgent attention!" said Mikoto with some urgency that made Sasuke turn and address her seriously.

"What is it? Military movement? Foreign spies? Momochi Raiders?" said Sasuke making a signal for his messenger as to get in contact with his military leaders.

Mikoto blinked and laughed "No you silly boy! This is more important!"

Sasuke blinked puzzled as well as most of the staff in the hall which stopped to listen.

"I compelled a list of possible brides and I wanted to go over them with you! Your position as clan leader won't be secure unless you produce an heir, and so we need to give you a proper bride! Chirped Mikoto obviously charmed by the idea of playing matchmaker.

This made everyone in the room face palm.

**Later on that day…**

Sasuke was walking late back to his room after another trying day of being the leader of the clan, making him yearn for the days when all he cared about was becoming strong as his brother and do things next to him.

Now he carried the weight of hundreds of thousands on his shoulder and his every decision affected their lives to the point where they could lose them and though he has been successful so far, he feared the day he would make a mistake.

In a perfect world, he would still be learning and becoming stronger at his own pace.

In a perfect world he would still be performing missions with Kakashi and Kitara.

In a perfect world his family would still be whole and happy.

In a perfect world his father would have guided him to manhood.

But the world was far from perfect.

His family is shattered, his body is on the verge of collapse due to exhaustion, his thoughts always plagued with violence, vengeance and worry.

And all because of Itachi…his traitorous brother who had killed his own father and clan leader!

Itachi had committed two of the most unforgivable crimes in the whole of the ninja world! He would find no shelter or friendly hand anywhere for such a mad man couldn't be trusted at all.

And that's what tormented Sasuke the most, for the more he thought of it, he couldn't understand why would Itachi do such a thing! After all it had been his father who negotiated the peace with the other clans and rebuilt its strength to a new height.

Itachi was to inherit the strongest Uchiha clan that has ever existed so what madness had taken him to do such a thing?

And the worst insult was that he was so strong, so unassailable, he was the closest thing he had seen that resembled invincibility.

And though he was now strong as Kakashi and Kitara, he knew that Itachi had defeated both before without breaking a sweat.

He needed to become stronger no matter what and so he desired the kind of power Naruto had shown him that fateful day on the bridge.

It had been brief but it had been enough to leave a permanent impression on him.

Such overwhelming sensation like never he had felt before.

It had been a mixed sensation of absolute terror with awe, and he knew that if he could wield such power, then he would be able to defeat Itachi and perhaps more…

Sasuke kept his brooding until he crashed into a smaller person making him stop on his tracks.

Sasuke noticed that he had crashed into a very old man who had dropped several ancient looking scrolls to the ground.

Sasuke sighed and said "I am very sorry sir, let me help you…"

Sasuke went to grab a scroll and noticed that it was sealed with the mark of the Sharingan instead of the fan of the family which meant that these scrolls dated to the time of the Clan's most ancient of times.

Sasuke didn't voice his concern and helped the old man to his feet while trying to sense foul play.

The man straightened his clothes and said amidst coughs with a frail voice "Thank you young man, I am afraid that my grip and strength isn't what it used to be!"

The man turned to see who he was addressing and went wide eyed when he noticed that it was the clan leader.

"I-I am sorry my lord, I didn't meant to stand in your way!" hurriedly said the man as he tried to go to one knee but he was having trouble doing it due to his old age.

Sasuke went to grab the old man by the elbow and kept him steady while saying "Don't apologize sir, the fault is mine, I am tired and wasn't paying any attention to my path. So please let me help you carry these scrolls"

The man blinked in surprise and smiled "Then I won't reject the help my lord! It's not every day a clan leader walks by my side"

Sasuke grabbed every scroll and followed the old man to the library of the palace where he placed the scrolls on a table.

Sasuke was intrigued by the ancient scrolls and asked "These scrolls look very old. Tell me, what's in them?"

The man brought up some glasses and putting them on he replied "Oh, those tell ancient stories of our clan. Age is eating them and so I have dedicated several years of my life to replicate them anew so their knowledge isn't lost to the clan"

Sasuke nodded and said "A worthy task, though it probably takes a lot of your time…"

The man laughed once more amidst coughs and said "My lord, you worry that I may not live to see my task done? Such generosity is very rare among us, if I dare"

The man displayed the first scroll and Sasuke's eyes went wide in surprise, for the scroll had ancient words on them and it was signed at the top with "By the hand of Madara Uchiha…"

"Oh, I seem to have caught your interest my lord! This is a particularly rare scroll written by our great forefather Madara himself by the time he was about your age my lord! This scroll speaks of a rather unknown time from before he undertook his great achievements and was just one more in the clan. Makes you wonder what he would have thought had he known his destiny!" said the old man.

Sasuke wanted to speak but instead remained silent for he wasn't sure is he was supposed to be impressed.

"If I may, you seem tired my Lord. Is there something this lowly servant can do to relieve you from your burdens?" asked the man in a new tone that went unnoticed to the tired Sasuke.

Sasuke shook his head and said "It's nothing old man, it's only that I fear that my strength will falter to carry the clan properly…"

The man observed him with intense eyes and said "Leadership can be quite a heavy burden my Lord, so I am told…But from what I hear, you are performing fantastically, people speaks highly of you and are very hopeful for the future under your command. So it's quite surprising to listen you are afraid my lord…"

"It's not that I am afraid! It's just that my strength alone may not be enough…" said Sasuke taking a seat feeling very tired.

"I'll not presume to be wise just because I have spent my life reading countless scrolls and books, but age does bring its own quality of wisdom my lord. So I would like to give humble advice if I may" said the old man as he activated his Sharingan and began to copy the words of ancient Madara with the care to imitate the handwriting perfectly.

Sasuke scrubbed his eyes and said "And what would you advice?"

The old man placed the quill back in the inker and addressed Sasuke "My Lord, the Uchiha are a proud and sadly stubborn folk as history have proven time and time again. Many since the days of Madara have attempted to conquer the whole of the Land of Fire but none has been so close to achieve it as Madara was, and even he was eventually defeated. History holds the answers to why we haven't been able to do it, but few in our clan turn to it for the clues they may need"

"From what I have learned in these scrolls that has shared my life, the Uchiha used to be so much stronger than we are today, but the ancient arts have dulled and eventually have been forgotten" said the man fixing Sasuke with his Sharingan which was as intense as the first day he acquired it.

"W-What do you mean?" said Sasuke surprised that the intensity of the man managed to unsettle him.

"What I mean my lord, is that among the vast troves of knowledge the clan has gathered and made over the centuries, the answers you seek and the power you desire is hidden waiting for a worthy Uchiha to rediscover them!" said the old man returning to his work.

Sasuke pondered about this and asked carefully "If such power lies there, why didn't you use it?"

The old man scoffed lightly and said "I was placed among them because I was crippled in battle by the mercilessness of a Hyuuga warrior who forever messed several of my organs and chakra coils. Had I not been wounded in such manner and survived by a miracle, I wouldn't have founded such treasure"

"And why is this the first time I hear of this?" asked Sasuke with further curiosity.

"As I said my lord, we are proud and stubborn. Other Uchiha would not listen to a sore loser who should have died with honor instead of clinging to such a sorrowful existence, and so my words only fell into deaf ears" replied the old man as if having the last laugh in all matters.

"The arts written in these scrolls, are too complicated anyway, so much that I never understood the ways to unlock their power, so I contented myself with waiting till the day someone would listen and perhaps showed me the greatness laid here" said the old man gently touching the scroll.

"Would you show me these scrolls?" asked Sasuke with renewed hope that he may have found a way to reach his brother.

"Of course my lord, I live to serve…"said the old man with a gracious bow.

"By the way, what's your name old man?" said Sasuke as he went to join the old man by the scroll and learn its contents.

"Izuna Uchiha, at your service my lord…" replied the old man smoothly.

**At Truesight…**

The Hyuuga were in the middle of a revolution for their ancient traditions, customs and rules had all but been shattered into a shameful part of their history.

Still now that the ground has been leveled for all members of the clan it was inevitable that some sectors of the new society would create friction, especially those who would lose and those who still wanted some sort of repayment.

And as the new laws had dictated, for a new future to be forged, people needed to let go of the past and seek no revenge or try to keep any privilege.

Lesser people would have found this task too much of a burden and would have broken apart but thankfully it was undertaken by great characters.

Neji's firm stoicism and discipline served as an example for his people to forgive, never forget and focus on forging a brighter future where the cage of the past becomes a sad memory never to be repeated.

While Hinata had become the lady of the Hyuuga and her beauty, gentleness and shy behavior charmed everyone to her side even though they had been at each other throats moments before.

Though there was a rumor that she had fits of insanity from time to time, but that was just probably envious people who wanted to seed dissent in the newly established hierarchy of the clan.

In any case the Clan was being thoroughly transformed and now Hinata stood at its peak…

Sigh… "Who would have said that being a Clan leader would be so hard…" whined Hinata as she finished writing a scroll with newly finished decrees for the arranging of missions and payment methods.

Hinata rolled up the scroll and placed it in a container next to her desk and then she flopped on it closing her eyes as sleep was about to claim her.

"Naruto…" mumbled Hinata as the doors of her office flung wide open striking the walls and making Hinata get up and fall back over her chair.

"Big sis! Let's get something for dinner!" shouted Hanabi as she marched into her sister's office.

"H-Hanabi! You should know on the door!" whined Hinata as she got back on her feet but the moment she stared back at Hanabi she started to laugh.

Hinata then noticed that a sheet of paper got stuck to her cheek with her drool.

Blushing, Hinata removed it and took a long breath.

"Sorry Hanabi, but it's been a long day and to be honest I just don't have the energy. I'll have a snack and then go to bed" said Hinata as she put down the candles of her office and walked outside the office as a pouting Hanabi followed her.

"But sis, you said the same yesterday and the day before and for that matter since you got anointed as clan leader! What of our quality time?" whined Hanabi.

"You know I would like more free time but there's much to be done before the clan works smoothly. And if I recall, our quality time usually includes you asking me questions about my time with, you know…" said Hinata as she kept marching towards the palace kitchen.

"Of course! That's the kind of things sisters' talks about these days! I need details so when my turn comes, I perform like the Hyuuga princess I am! And from what I know, Naruto gave you a thorough lesson!" said Hanabi with a wild grin that made Hinata blush intensely.

Hinata didn't say anything and just kept on marching trying to ignore Hanabi.

Hanabi knew this tactic of her sister so she stood in front of Hinata and showed her a small piece of local news.

Hinata blinked before the paper and asked "What?..."

"It seems our good Sage went over to the Sarutobi and saved the day once more!" said Hanabi withdrawing the paper before the eager Hinata tried to grasp it.

Hanabi and Hinata danced bit as the eager clan leader wanted to read everything about Naruto's latest exploits and keep the recording in her small stash of Naruto's stuff which included a couple of poems, writings and childish drawings.

"Hanabi! Give me that!" said Hinata as she and Hanabi got into a lock of hands.

"No! Until you promise me to spend more time together!" said Hanabi pushing back at Hinata.

"You know, it isn't that simple! The clan needs me!" said back Hinata managing to get the piece of paper.

"I need you!" screamed back Hanabi crossing her arms and turning away from Hinata.

Hinata sighed knowing that she had forgotten that Hanabi was young and given the absence of a proper parent in their life, she was the closest thing she had to a mother and was also her best friend.

Sighing Hinata tucked the paper in a pocket and approached Hanabi from behind, but a she was about to place a hand on her shoulder an all familiar sensation crept through her body.

She managed to gasp a "Not now!" and then she was lost…

Hanabi stood there with barely contained tears a pout waiting for her sister to apologize to her but when she heard Hinata gasping she was about to turn around.

But a couple of hands snaked around her stomach and another to hold her face with supreme delicacy.

Hanabi gasped but didn't say anything when she felt a gentle air blowing past her ear making her shudder and moan a bit scared.

"So you want to learn about naughty things do you?" whispered Hinata in a tone Hanabi had never heard coming from her.

"Ah?" was all that Hanabi could say as Hinata's left hand began to gently rub her stomach and abdomen igniting a fire in her body that made her skin begin to glitter.

"But you know? The best way to learn them is through experience…" said Hinata as she licked her sister's ear and her right hand went to rest on the side of Hanabi's small breasts making her tremble with a bit of anticipation for the sensation was new to her and she could only wonder what would feel like when she touched them properly.

Finally grabbing Hanabi's small right breast and getting a loud moan from her Hinata whispered with a smile in her tone "Ready for your lesson?"

At this Hanabi got back to her senses and struggled to get free from Hinata and escaped from her sister while screaming "Hinata's acting weird!"

Hinata stood there with a slump back shoulders and lifting her hand she felt the warm in it and said "Silly sister…"

In that instant, Hinata got back to her senses as well and realized what just happened.

Feeling ashamed she made a mental note to apologize and she pulled the paper as she renewed her path back to the kitchen.

**At Bronzesight…**

"Neji! I have youthful news! Lady Hinata just passed the latest decree with all of your recommendations on it!" yelled Lee at the top of his lungs grasping a crumpled sheet of paper with the news on it.

Neji had a twitching eye brow as apparently, Lee's loud shout disturbed him during his careful calligraphy exercise with which he wrote down his letters for his allies and the rest of the clan, since he was now the head of the newly formed council that gave aid to Hinata as the clan leader.

Neji breathed out and forced his popping vein to settle down.

Neji said "That's good news Lee, but next time do please announce yourself before entering here. We have plenty of work to do and to be honest we could do without such exclamations"

Lee seemed a bit cast down but then Ten Ten entered the room and patting Lee's back she said "Oh don't be so harsh Neji! You are the one who should lighten up more often! You barely danced at all during the celebrations despite having all those girls fawning over you!"

This in turn made Lee snicker with laughter while Neji's cheeks colored up as she remembered how many of the girls dragged him around to dance with him and secretly offer her an exclusive after party.

Neji turned to look at Ten Ten and still was amazed by how pretty the girl had apparently become after the revolution for she no longer wore loose fitting clothes and had forsaken her hair buns for short more feminine cut with a couple of braids on it and tight fitting clothes that showed more of her body to others.

Neji's sight lingered on Ten Ten's shape which in turn made the girl grin slight and with her finger pointing upwards she said "Eyes up here Neji, and thank you it's quite flattering to see you are effectively a man and not some sort of emotionless creep"

Neji blushed even harder this time and coughing out his shame he said "It's rare to see you both here, is there something going on?"

"What? We can't visit our teammate just because we like to?" said Ten Ten obviously angry at Neji's usual lack of outwards care for them.

"Apologies, it's only that council work is quite time consuming and I barely have any free time anymore so I am used to have my attention consumed with requirements and notices" said Neji as he leant back from his desk and stretched a bit.

"No need for apologies Neji! Your work is of the upmost youthfulness for the clan! But we just wanted to let you know of the most recent news regarding the youthful Sage who delivered us from the most unyouthful of our days.

Being a bit annoyed with Lee's vocabulary Ten-Ten interjected "What he means is that the Sage Naruto, made it big again on the Sarutobi clan. Help them get over a small rebellion and clear out their succession issues"

Neji closed his eyes and nodded in approval "It seems Naruto is a positive influence wherever he goes. I shall recommend Hinata to send a delegation to the Sarutobi and perhaps send gifts for the Sage"

"I wonder if he scored?" said aloud Ten-Ten, not very interested in Neji's official thoughts about the Sage and the clan situation.

"Excuse me?" said Neji, clearly oblivious to the common slang Ten-Ten preferred.

"Oh? If he got hot and dirty with a girl" said Ten-Ten casually still getting her teammates confused.

"He fought them? How ungentle from him to pick up a fight with a girl!" said Lee still not getting it.

Ten-Ten, blinked and said "I mean, if he got cuddly with someone over there!"

"How strange, Sarutobi lands aren't that cold, there's shouldn't be any need for him to cuddle with someone to preserve heat" said Neji in a wise tone as Lee nodded in approval.

Ten-Ten popped a big being and screamed with a furious red blush on her face "I said if he had any sex! Hot, strong, steamy sex! What the hell is wrong with you two? Are you happy to make a girl say it out loud?

At this two men looked to one another and with an unexpected seriousness that took Ten-Ten by surprise they said "That's hardly our business don't you think? Besides, he already has Lady Hinata, it would be very unmanly to go looking for another woman's affection"

"What?" said a puzzled Ten-Ten.

"That's correct Ten-Ten. The Sage is a hero and has already clearly being charmed by Lady Hinata, for him to even consider finding pleasure in another woman's arms would be terribly disappointing" said Neji.

"You are right Neji, besides what manner of woman would throw herself at the arms of a stranger so easily? Such women are a disappointment for them all!" added Lee.

At this Ten-Ten mouth drew a sinister grin as she went for the seals painted on her braces.

Summoning a couple of abnormally large axes, Ten-Ten loomed over the two "wise" men and said in an eerie tone.

"So that's what you think, huh?" said Ten-Ten as her pride burned with the received insults.

Neji and Lee just saw all light disappear as the axes fell…

Back with Naruto.

Naruto opened his eyes and said aloud "I am sure they are fine!"

And with that he took his first steps into the Land of Wind where his new adventures awaited him.

**The End.**

**AN: And that's it my beloved readers!**

**Wow, after two years it's finally done! And with way more chapters than I expected at first!**

**As many of you who have followed me through the story so far, you probably have noticed my own development as a writer and as such I would like to know your opinion about it and if you have any advice or helpful criticism.**

**I would like to thank you all for your support and tell you that I am not done with this Sage for I have several sequels planned for him. But as I told before, I have other projects I wish to try my hand into and so I'll not be writing them anytime soon, though I may write one shots from time to time if inspiration hits me.**

**As I informed in previous chapters, I'll be updating my profile with a poll about the ideas I have for a new story and also will take time to finish my second project which is "You Came from a Tale"**

**Anyway, thank you all again for your time and many reviews across the time.**

**Read, Enjoy, Review and see you soon!**


End file.
